Origin: bef. 900; ME
hethen, OE
hǣthen, akin to G
Heide, heidnisch (adj.), ON
heithingi (n.),
heithinn (adj.), Goth
haithno (n.); perh. akin to
heath 
Related forms: hea⋅then⋅dom, noun
hea⋅then⋅hood, noun
hea⋅then⋅ness, noun
hea⋅then⋅ship, noun
Synonyms:
3. heathenish, barbarous. Heathen, pagan are both applied to peoples who are not Christian, Jewish, or Muslim. Heathen is often distinctively applied to unenlightened or barbaric idolaters, esp. to primitive or ancient tribes: heathen rites, idols. Pagan, though applied to any of the peoples not worshiping according to the three religions mentioned above, is most frequently used in speaking of the ancient Greeks and Romans: a pagan poem; a pagan civilization. 4. philistine; savage.
Antonyms:
4. sophisticated, urbane, cultured.
[hee-th
noun, plural -thens, -then, adjective