1
as in deserter
a person who abandons a cause or organization usually without right
an apostate from communism, he later became one of its harshest critics
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in traitor
one who betrays a trust or an allegiance
became an apostate to liberalism after he had gotten wealthy
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in renegade
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of apostate
Andrew L. Peek, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2016
Liz Cheney, the former Republican congresswoman from Wyoming and an ardent conservative, is an apostate for modern times.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 10 Dec. 2023
The latter — driven by an apocalyptic, millenarian creed — had embarked on a frenzy of killing, torture, grisly execution and abductions of civilians from communities of supposed apostates and enemies.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2023
Moribund groups have sputtered to life, former brothers-in-arms have declared one another apostates, and erstwhile hunters of jihadists have joined their ranks.
—Foreign Affairs, 15 Aug. 2017
See All Example Sentences for apostate
Noun
If the conflict in Syria is a religious war against apostates rather than a geopolitical scuffle, more militants will be drawn toward the conflict and away from the crown.
—Andrew L. Peek, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2016
Liz Cheney, the former Republican congresswoman from Wyoming and an ardent conservative, is an apostate for modern times.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 10 Dec. 2023
The latter — driven by an apocalyptic, millenarian creed — had embarked on a frenzy of killing, torture, grisly execution and abductions of civilians from communities of supposed apostates and enemies.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2023
Moribund groups have sputtered to life, former brothers-in-arms have declared one another apostates, and erstwhile hunters of jihadists have joined their ranks.
—Foreign Affairs, 15 Aug. 2017
See All Example Sentences for apostate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apostate
Noun
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The love story of a Confederate deserter (Jude Law) journeying back to his North Carolina home and his love (Nicole Kidman) drives the Civil War drama.—
Brian Truitt,
USA TODAY,
25 Feb. 2025
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The deserters were typically shot simultaneously by three or more fellow soldiers — one of whom might have been issued blanks, rather than live rounds, as was the case in the 2010 Utah execution — to blur the lines of responsibility for the death.—
Jacey Fortin,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The president saw General Milley as a grandstander and a traitor.—
Eric Schmitt,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2025
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With only two episodes left, faithful Britney Haynes has been recruited as the latest traitor.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA TODAY,
22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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But a deadly encounter with renegade Claude Dallas (Teller) shatters his reality and propels him into a relentless questfor vengeance — one that blurs the line between justice and obsession.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
10 Feb. 2025
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Roughly two decades ago, as many television aficionados tell it, the story of a beleaguered Los Angeles police station and its renegade strike team, led by Det.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Jan. 2025
Noun
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On the battlefield, the nobles’ cavalry and superior artillery brutally cut down the rebels.—
Michael Bruening,
The Conversation,
25 Feb. 2025
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The rebels on Friday also claimed to have seized a second airport in the region, in the town of Kavumu outside Bukavu.—
JUSTIN KABUMBA,
arkansasonline.com,
16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The potential members of a schismatic Catholic sect are located in areas of the world such as the United States, where the church has significant financial resources and assets, plus a wide array of independent Catholic institutions that operate largely outside the hierarchy of the church.—
Massimo Faggioli,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Oct. 2018
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But Barzani’s setback only birthed a schismatic new cadre of Kurdish leaders.—
Behnam Ben Taleblu,
Foreign Affairs,
8 Nov. 2017
Noun
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Britain, under the comparatively liberal Keir Starmer, has a rather more niche anxiety: that its citizens will leave and then return as insurgents.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
24 Jan. 2025
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Pakistani security forces killed 27 insurgents during a raid on a militant hideout, according to a statement from the country's military.—
John Mac Ghlionn,
Newsweek,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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So the company embraced nontraditional collaborations, like municipal partnerships and corporate work that came with bigger paychecks.—
Brian Schaefer,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2025
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Magically, the Melania issue had not, in the White House years nor the Mar-a-Lago years—with both staffers and press quite aware of the Trumps' nontraditional living arrangements and their careful distance from each other— become an issue.—
Mark Joseph,
Newsweek,
22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Lives lived: Zakia Jafri, who waged a decades-long legal battle against government officials in India after her husband was killed during sectarian riots, died at 86.—
Natasha Frost,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2025
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An uncle was among those displaced by the sectarian violence between Muslims and Christians, trekking hundreds of miles through deserts and war zones to the safety of the sprawling Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Apostate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apostate. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.
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