pagan
Noun:
- A person who follows a polytheistic or pre-Christian religion: A person whose religious beliefs involve the worship of multiple gods or nature spirits, or who adheres to indigenous, pre-Christian spiritual traditions.
- A person who does not acknowledge the God of Christianity, Judaism, or Islam: A person who is not a follower of the major Abrahamic faiths.
- (Archaic) A person motivated by sensual pleasures; a hedonist: This older usage implies a person devoted to worldly pleasures and material pursuits, often contrasted with spiritual life.
Adjective:
- Relating to pagans or paganism: Describing beliefs, practices, or things associated with polytheistic, nature-based, or pre-Christian religions.
- Not acknowledging the God of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam: Describing a person, belief system, or practice that is outside these major monotheistic faiths.
Noun:
- The ancient Romans were pagans who worshipped gods like Jupiter and Mars.
- She considers herself a pagan, finding spiritual connection in nature rather than in a church.
- (Archaic) He lived his life as a pagan, concerned only with feasts and entertainment.
Adjective:
- They celebrated the summer solstice with pagan rituals.
- The temple ruins are a site of great pagan significance.
"Neopagan": A modern follower of reconstructed or revived pagan religions, such as Wicca or Druidry.
- Many neopagans gather at Stonehenge for the solstice.
"Paganize" (verb, rare): To convert to or make something characteristic of paganism.
- Some critics accused the festival of paganizing a Christian holiday.
Paganism (n): The collective term for polytheistic, nature-based, or pre-Christian religious beliefs and practices.
- The study of European paganism reveals diverse traditions.
Paganistic (adj): Having qualities characteristic of paganism.
- The ceremony had a paganistic feel to it.
- Heathen: Often used interchangeably with "pagan," though it can carry a more pejorative tone.
- Polytheist: A person who believes in multiple gods (a more specific, neutral term).
- Infidel: A term used within Abrahamic faiths for someone who does not believe in that faith (often stronger and more derogatory).
"Pagan holiday": A festival or celebration with origins in pre-Christian traditions, now often associated with secular or Christianized versions (e.g., Christmas trees, Easter eggs).
- Halloween has its roots in a pagan holiday.
"Go pagan" (informal): To adopt a lifestyle perceived as hedonistic or free from conventional religious morals.
- On their vacation, they decided to go pagan and forget all their worries.
"Pagan gods": Refers to the deities of ancient polytheistic religions.
- The myths are full of stories about the pagan gods of Greece.
"Pagan practices": Customs or rituals associated with paganism.
- Some folk healing methods are considered pagan practices.
- not acknowledging the God of Christianity and Judaism and Islam
- someone motivated by desires for sensual pleasures
- a person who follows a polytheistic or pre-Christian religion (not a Christian or Muslim or Jew)
- a person who does not acknowledge your god