1
as in accomplice
one associated with another in wrongdoing
the police were able to track down his confederates once the thief started talking
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2
as in supporter
someone associated with another to give assistance or moral support
relied on her confederates in the medical community for support
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to cooperate
to form or enter into an association that furthers the interests of its members
the nations confederated in order to lower international trade barriers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in allied
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of confederate
Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 16 July 2024
An article on Saturday about a school district in Virginia that voted to reinstate confederate names to several schools misstated the surname of a former member of the Shenandoah County school board.
—New York Times, 14 May 2024
Gregory Feifer, Foreign Affairs, 8 Aug. 2016
Yet, the real participants were surrounded by confederates, or actors, who deliberately gave incorrect answers.
—Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
Andrew R. Chow, Time, 21 Nov. 2022
The holiday celebrates confederate soldiers such as Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee.
—Mabinty Quarshie, USA TODAY, 15 June 2021
See All Example Sentences for confederate
Noun
In 1865, he was appointed as the confederate secretary of war.
—Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 16 July 2024
An article on Saturday about a school district in Virginia that voted to reinstate confederate names to several schools misstated the surname of a former member of the Shenandoah County school board.
—New York Times, 14 May 2024
Verb
Complicit supervisors who managed the scheme made certain to give a cut to their confederates in local government, who no doubt passed some of it to their Moscow protectors because the racket was apparently widespread in the city.
—Gregory Feifer, Foreign Affairs, 8 Aug. 2016
Yet, the real participants were surrounded by confederates, or actors, who deliberately gave incorrect answers.
—Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
The Kinfolk app’s launch comes as fierce debate rages about the monuments staring down at us from city centers: those that pay tribute to confederate leaders, slave owners, or other tarnished once-heroes.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 21 Nov. 2022
The holiday celebrates confederate soldiers such as Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee.
—Mabinty Quarshie, USA TODAY, 15 June 2021
See All Example Sentences for confederate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confederate
Noun
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Houck, Rogers' boyfriend at the time of her disappearance and the father of her youngest child, was convicted of murder as a principal or accomplice and complicity to tampering with physical evidence in July.—
Killian Baarlaer,
Louisville Courier Journal,
19 Aug. 2025
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New Zealand Police later named Phillips as the suspect, and said he was aided by a female accomplice.—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
19 Aug. 2025
Noun
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His supporters have pushed back on the Republican administration's attempt to close the book on Epstein after Trump and his backers helped to heighten expectations of blockbuster revelations.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
1 Sep. 2025
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That earned him an incredible list of clients and supporters who trust him and continue to champion his work.—
Margot Machol Bisnow,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Stocks rallied on the view that the door is open to easing as soon as September if incoming jobs and inflation data cooperate.—
Paulo Carvão,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
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Local police went to the man’s residence but refused to arrest him due to state law that forbids law enforcement from cooperating with immigration authorities.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The other, supported by progressive legislators and allied groups, seeks more disclosure from AI companies and tighter rules to prevent discrimination.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
24 Aug. 2025
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Black Wing was one of the allied mecha in the original Dancouga anime and piloted by Alan Igor.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
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As revenge, Reilly nominated Domingue's other ally Rylie Jeffries instead.—
Dina Kaur,
AZCentral.com,
25 Aug. 2025
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The company’s Starlink satellites have become indispensable for providing internet access to remote areas as well as to U.S. allies during wartime.—
Magdalena Petrova,
CNBC,
24 Aug. 2025
Verb
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First-year students and their families filed back to Corr Hall Chapel for an evening blessing by Donohue, who wanted to calm and unite the crowd after the incident had shocked families and students on campus.—
Shane Brennan,
USA Today,
23 Aug. 2025
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Inspired by the Oklahoma River that binds the north and south sides of the city, the jersey also features water-like teeth uniting the jersey’s duotone halves.—
Nick Crain,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The state Legislature held an hourslong hearing this week that turned contentious amid interruptions and partisan clashes.—
Elizabeth Robinson,
NBC news,
21 Aug. 2025
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The maps would remain in effect until 2030, but only if other states proceed with partisan redistricting.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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On the other hand, federated knowledge graphs address data silos by bringing a decentralized approach to data integration.—
Rajiv Shesh,
Forbes.com,
18 July 2025
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Collaborate Securely With Federated Learning Models Leverage federated learning to train machine learning models collaboratively across institutions without sharing raw data.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confederate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confederate. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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