renegade

noun ren·e·gade \ ˈre-ni-ˌgād \

Updated on: 21 May 2018

Definition of renegade

1 : a deserter from one faith, cause, or allegiance to another

2 : an individual who rejects lawful or conventional behavior

See renegade defined for English-language learners

See renegade defined for kids

Examples of renegade in a Sentence

renegades from the Republican Party
stories about pirates and renegades on the high seas

Recent Examples of renegade from the Web

He was considered quite a renegade in the early days.

— jolene edgar, Allure, "The Best Skin-Care Brands Created by Dermatologists, According to a Cosmetic Surgeon," 16 May 2018
Esfahani, who was born in Tehran in 1984 and grew up in Rockville, Maryland, happily fills the role, casting himself as a fearless renegade in an insular field.

— alex ross, The New Yorker, "The Rebel Harpsichordists," 14 May 2018
If a renegade dares turn against the crowd, the crowd teams up against them, then returns to its revels.

— robin sloan, The Atlantic, "I Played Fortnite and Figured Out the Universe," 10 May 2018
After his release, Salemme was groomed to take over as mob boss, igniting a war with a renegade faction.

— travis andersen, BostonGlobe.com, "Murder trial of former N.E. mob boss ‘Cadillac Frank’ set to begin," 9 May 2018
In January, a federal judge threw out all the criminal charges against renegade Nevada cattleman Cliven Bundy, his two sons and a supporter who had been in an armed standoff over unpaid grazing fees.

— eric lichtblau, Time, "The FBI Is in Crisis. It's Worse Than You Think," 3 May 2018
Ever since the release of our favorite groundbreaking monster hit Black Panther, Tobagonian Winston Duke has accumulated a great following of fans for his portrayal of Jabari renegade M’Baku.

— kristian 'krit' schmidt, The Root, "Winston Duke Says Black Women Have Been His No. 1 Fans," 25 Apr. 2018
In his third film, Civil War (2016), Rogers outright rejects the idea of institutional oversight and becomes a renegade.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "How Marvel Is Rewriting Its World Order," 24 Apr. 2018
Innocuous paintings of trees, birds and flowers are permitted by the Kim regime — renegade and underground art is banned.

— jane onyanga-omara, USA TODAY, "Art collection shows hidden side of North Korea," 5 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'renegade.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of renegade

Spanish renegado, from Medieval Latin renegatus, from past participle of renegare to deny, from Latin re- + negare to deny — more at negate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1611

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

renegade Synonyms

renegade

verb

Definition of renegade

renegaded; renegading

intransitive verb

: to become a renegade

Recent Examples of renegade from the Web

Groark was persuaded to join Lowell P. Weicker Jr.’s renegade A Connecticut Party in 1990 and served one term as lieutenant governor before launching a losing bid for governor in 1994.

— matthew kauffman, courant.com, "Former Lt. Gov. Eunice Groark Dies at 80," 9 May 2018
Reporters are notoriously averse to collective action and their employers are notoriously averse to renegade employees.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "The White House Press, Like Other D.C. Institutions, Is Broken," 19 June 2017

First Known Use of renegade

circa 1611

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

renegade

adjective

Definition of renegade

1 : having deserted a faith, cause, or religion for a hostile one

2 : having rejected tradition : unconventional

Recent Examples of renegade from the Web

Beijing regards Taiwan as a renegade province of China, while Hong Kong and Macau are former British and Portuguese colonies that returned to Chinese sovereignty two decades ago.

— mark landler, BostonGlobe.com, "Shopper’s delight: Unique boutiques and bargain browsing, all with no tax," 5 May 2018
Instead of renegade robots preying on humans, the show zeroed in on the nascent humanity of these artificial constructs, contrasted with the brutality inflicted upon them by people indulging their darkest impulses and fantasies.

— brian lowry, CNN, "'Westworld' remains easy to admire, harder to like in new season," 19 Apr. 2018
An abbreviated chop is that much more versatile in the right pair of renegade hands.

— calin van paris, Vogue, "Olivia Wilde Shakes Up Her Bob With a No-Commitment Trick for a Date With Jason Sudeikis," 19 Apr. 2018
The house is still mostly family-owned and, from the outside at least, retains a renegade spirit that's less common among the risk-managing, venture capital-dispensing high-end conglomerate set.

— max berlinger, GQ, "You Could Use a Style Upgrade," 18 Apr. 2018
The sprawling dress may have been Diana’s most renegade bridal move.

— julie miller, Vanities, "Inside Princess Diana’s Fairy-Tale Royal Wedding," 17 Apr. 2018
As for the grand diva Dagmar Onassis, this renegade daughter of Maria Callas and Aristotle Onassis was fictional but deserved to be real.

— elisabeth vincentelli, New York Times, "Review: In ‘Time No Line,’ John Kelly Revisits Decades of Diary Entries," 5 Mar. 2018
That renegade spirit is what inspired Minnick and his partner, Stewart McLennan, to found the Garagiste Festival in California.

— andy hermann, Los Angeles Magazine, "California’s Renegade Winemakers Are Pouring Weird, Wonderful Wines," 16 Feb. 2018
And, until 2008, flights between mainland China and Taiwan (which Beijing considers a renegade province) had to be routed via Hong Kong airspace, nearly doubling flight times from Shanghai.

— yaroslav trofimov, WSJ, "How the Middle East’s Conflicts Shut Down Its Skies," 29 Mar. 2018