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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of apostate
Bernard Haykel, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for apostate
Noun
All the while, Islamist leaders throughout the Muslim world have vilified Riyadh as a U.S. lackey and an apostate regime.
—Bernard Haykel, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for apostate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apostate
Noun
-
An escaped convict teams up with his Italian buddy and an army deserter to plan a spectacular bank robbery, looting a U.S. military base for the necessary firepower.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
13 Feb. 2025
-
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
Noun
-
There are people in the government who qualify for the term traitor.—
Letters to the Editor,
Orlando Sentinel,
18 Mar. 2025
-
Clearly, curator Samantha Johnston, who also happens to be CPAC’s executive director, is playing the traitor here by engaging with artists whose main tools are prompts, entered into programs, which generate images based on billions of data sets stored digitally around the globe.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
The Denver Post,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Apocalypse Now, which won two Oscars, followed a U.S. Army officer serving in Vietnam who is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel who has reportedly gone completely mad.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Mar. 2025
-
In July 2012, a renegade American businessman, Russ George, took a ship off the coast of British Columbia and dumped 100 tons of iron sulfate dust into the Pacific Ocean.—
Ramin Skibba,
WIRED,
22 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Ooh, rendezvous with the hot rebel in the forest! 50.—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Aiding the princess is a band of rebels led by the dashing Jonathan (Tony winner Andrew Burnap).—
Patrick Gomez,
EW.com,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
But Barzani’s setback only birthed a schismatic new cadre of Kurdish leaders.—
Behnam Ben Taleblu,
Foreign Affairs,
8 Nov. 2017
Noun
-
While Syria's new rulers -- led by the Islamist former insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham -- have pursued IS cells since taking power, some fear a breakdown in overall security that could allow the group to stage a resurgence.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
15 Mar. 2025
-
Turkey, a close ally of Mr. al-Shara’s rebel group, has for years sought to curb the power of the Syrian Democratic Forces, maintaining that the militia is linked to Kurdish separatist insurgents inside Turkey.—
Raja Abdulrahim,
New York Times,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Instead, communities should prioritize planning that includes traditional responders like the American Red Cross and local emergency management, as well as nontraditional responders like churches, local nonprofits and neighborhood groups.—
Trevor Riggen,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
-
There are also nontraditional private companies that specialize in higher-risk properties.—
Ron Lieber,
New York Times,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
If a site is damaged or vandalized, the group will repair it themselves, hoping to avoid an escalation into sectarian conflict between the Christian community and their Sunni neighbors.—
Chris Massaro,
Fox News,
23 Mar. 2025
-
Since 77% of private school enrollment is at sectarian schools per National Center for Education Statistics figures, more public funding for ESAs means more public funding for religion, at least until education entrepreneurs get to work.—
Ryan Craig,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Apostate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apostate. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share