Definition of apostate
: one who commits apostasy
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Examples of apostate in a Sentence
an apostate from communism, he later became one of its harshest critics
became an apostate to liberalism after he had gotten wealthy
Recent Examples of apostate from the Web
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An apostate Synanon member had nearly been beaten to death.
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Like their counterparts in Syria and Iraq, insurgents belonging to Afghanistan’s Islamic State group are radical Sunni Muslims who revile Shiites as apostates and believe that the entire Muslim world should be ruled by a single caliphate.
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The Marshals Office found excuses to arrest apostates.
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Afghanistan is home to a powerful Islamic State affiliate that has repeatedly targeted Shiites, who the extremists view as apostates deserving of death.
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The Shiite Turkmens had erected walls because the Islamic State jihadis, who adhere to a strict Sunni doctrine, believe Shiites are apostates who should be killed.
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The sudden arrival of a new class of tech skeptic, the industry apostate, has only complicated the discussion.
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And some leave their hometown to fly the black flag of ISIS in Syria, perhaps beheading a few apostates or raping and enslaving some Yazidis.
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Iran has eagerly supported the militantly secular PKK, the Sunni Islamists of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and even Salafi extremists like al-Qaeda and Ansar al-Islam, who see the Shiites as apostates who should be killed.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'apostate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of apostate
see apostasy
NEW! Time Traveler
First Known Use: 14th century
in the meaning defined above
See Words from the same yearapostate Synonyms
Antonyms
Related Words
betrayer, double-crosser, quisling, traitor, traitress (or traitoress), turnabout, turncoat;
defier, insurgent, insurrectionary, insurrectionist, mutineer, rebel, red, revolter, revolutionary, revolutionist;
Other Religion (Eastern and Other) Terms
Zen, antinomian, avatar, gnosticism, illuminati, ineffable, karma, koan, mantra
APOSTATE Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of apostate for English Language Learners
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: someone whose beliefs have changed and who no longer belongs to a religious or political group
Learn More about apostate
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See words that rhyme with apostate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for apostate Spanish Central: Translation of apostate Nglish: Translation of apostate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of apostate for Arabic speakers
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