neopagan

Word family

• neopaganism
  nounC1
• pagan
  nounB2
• pagan
  adjectiveB2
• paganism
  nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Pagan is the broadest term of the four, referring historically to anyone who followed a polytheistic, pre-Christian religion anywhere in the world, and in modern use also covers neopagan movements. Neopagan is narrower: it specifically describes someone who follows a 20th- or 21st-century revival of pre-Christian traditions (such as Druidry or Asatru) — not ancient pagans themselves. Wiccan is narrower still, denoting a follower of Wicca, a specific neopagan religion founded in the mid-20th century that centres on witchcraft and the worship of a Goddess and God. Heathen is sometimes used interchangeably with pagan, but in modern practice it often refers specifically to followers of Germanic or Norse neopagan traditions (Asatru). Nature worshipper is a descriptive phrase rather than a self-identifying label — many neopagans do revere nature, but not all nature-centred spirituality is neopagan. If you meet someone who calls themselves a neopagan, they follow a modern, earth-centred religion. If they call themselves Wiccan, they follow one specific tradition within that larger movement.

Common collocations

Etymology

Neopagan is formed from the prefix neo- (from Greek neos, meaning 'new') and the word pagan (from Latin paganus, originally 'country dweller' or 'civilian'). In early Christian times, paganus came to mean someone who was not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim — a follower of older, local religions. The modern term neopagan was coined in the mid-20th century to describe people who deliberately revived and adapted those pre-Christian traditions as living spiritual practices, distinguishing them from the original ancient pagans of history.