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
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of apostate
Marc Tracy, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2025
The Islamic State group follows a hard-line version of Sunni Islam and considers Shiite Muslims to be apostates.
—Warren P. Strobel, arkansasonline.com, 26 Jan. 2025
The speech reflected his role in the campaign: an attack dog deployed most often to the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, where the campaign believes its apostate of elite culture connects with the white working-class voters who may decide the election.
—Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 26 Sep. 2024
So too will the Internet amplify discourses critical of the Islamic faith, or of religion in general, and solidify the identities of secularists, atheists, and even apostates.
—Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Foreign Affairs, 4 Mar. 2017
See All Example Sentences for apostate
Adjective
Image Stone, 60, is that increasingly familiar figure in conservative life: an apostate from the mainstream, in recovery from her earlier liberalism.
—Marc Tracy, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2025
The Islamic State group follows a hard-line version of Sunni Islam and considers Shiite Muslims to be apostates.
—Warren P. Strobel, arkansasonline.com, 26 Jan. 2025
The speech reflected his role in the campaign: an attack dog deployed most often to the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, where the campaign believes its apostate of elite culture connects with the white working-class voters who may decide the election.
—Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 26 Sep. 2024
So too will the Internet amplify discourses critical of the Islamic faith, or of religion in general, and solidify the identities of secularists, atheists, and even apostates.
—Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Foreign Affairs, 4 Mar. 2017
See All Example Sentences for apostate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apostate
Noun
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In 1945, three men — two Jewish refugees living in Brooklyn and one Nazi deserter — enlisted in the Office of Strategic Services, a precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency in the United States.—
Lauren Liebhaber,
Miami Herald,
2 Oct. 2025
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Despite opposition to busing, particularly among White families who comprised much of Louisville's Catholic population, Archbishop McDonough vowed in 1974 that his schools would not become the home of public school deserters.—
Krista Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The high-concept social experiment show, in which a group of strangers work together to uncover the traitors, sorry, werewolves, amongst them, was a breakout hit on Canal+ in France and has already been adapted for ARD’s online service in Germany.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Oct. 2025
-
If Brian doesn't answer, he will be labeled a traitor.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
With a running time of 191 minutes, Grindhouse was meant to be a celebration of the exploitation cinema on which the two renegade directors grew up.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
28 Sep. 2025
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Lopez posted lookbooks on Facebook and staged renegade runway shows—during, but outside, the main calendar of New York Fashion Week.—
Ana Karina Zatarain,
New Yorker,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In Syria, rebels overthrew Assad last year, Israeli strikes killed Hezbollah and Hamas’ top leaders, while Iraqi militant groups faded into the background.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
12 Oct. 2025
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In Valentin's case, his love for Molina, and in Cassian's, his love for adoptive mother, Maarva (Fiona Shaw), girlfriend Bix (Adria Arjona), and the other rebels with whom he's aligned himself.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Such was the case this past weekend, when tens of millions of fans keyed in on the denouement of the college basketball season at the expense of lesser spectacles such as spring football and one notoriously schismatic pro golf startup.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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The Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which didn't recognize the authority of the Russian church and had been regarded as schismatic, was granted full recognition in 2019 by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Orthodoxy's top authority.—
COMPILED BYDEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFFFROM WIRE REPORTS,
arkansasonline.com,
26 Dec. 2023
Noun
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The best challenger brands think like cultural insurgents.—
Erik Huberman,
Rolling Stone,
10 Oct. 2025
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Islamist insurgents have since May attacked Malian and foreign-owned businesses, including cement factories, sugar factories, and mines.—
Preeti Jha,
semafor.com,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The nontraditional bathmat is over 20% off this Prime Day.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
8 Oct. 2025
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But there’s growing demand for nontraditional voices who offer devoted niche audiences.—
Rhonda Richford,
Footwear News,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The approach extended to the creative process, with extensive consultation with North Korean experts and defectors throughout production.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
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Two of whom, Seok and Hyuk, gained attention for their emotional story as North Korean defectors-turned-K-pop idols.—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Apostate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apostate. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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