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
Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2025
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
As the developed north lectures this new generation of Latin American leaders to abide by neoliberal, democratic norms and isolating apostates, China and Russia are all too willing to provide an alternative.
—Christopher Sabatini, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for apostate
Noun
On the walls, someone had spray painted graffiti calling Alawites dogs and apostates.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2025
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
As the developed north lectures this new generation of Latin American leaders to abide by neoliberal, democratic norms and isolating apostates, China and Russia are all too willing to provide an alternative.
—Christopher Sabatini, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for apostate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apostate
Noun
-
Harry Truman granted amnesty to certain World War II deserters, while Jimmy Carter granted pardons to hundreds of thousands of individuals who dodged the draft during the Vietnam War.—
Stewart Ulrich,
The Conversation,
15 Dec. 2025
-
After a British deserter mistakenly gains immortality during the American Revolution, he is forced to face his cowardly past and fight against a sinister plot to destroy America.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
14 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Hemphill spoke alongside former Capitol police officer Winston Pingeon, who described being punched in the face, pepper sprayed, and called a traitor by the rioters.—
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The J6ers were not insurrectionists, traitors, and miscreants but patriots, heroes, and innocents.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Linson had a renegade spirit and a rock and roll heart, and was part of a new wave of younger filmmakers that included Hal Ashby and Jonathan Demme.—
Cameron Crowe,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The project is described as a supernatural home invasion horror-thriller about a disaffected teenage girl who must team up with a renegade witch to protect her little sister from a murderous coven hellbent on using her as a human sacrifice in an apocalyptic ritual on Halloween night.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The London punk rebels seized the revolutionary spirit of 1977 with their raw manifesto The Clash, then refined their sound with the flawed Give ‘Em Enough Rope.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Meanwhile, over in Britain, a vibrant antiwar movement brought on motion after motion in Parliament to cease fire and end all offensive operations against the rebels.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
While many are now driven primarily by economic interests, a subset retains insurgent, ant-imperialist commitments.—
Rebecca Hanson,
The Conversation,
6 Jan. 2026
-
That could mean tightening sanctions on remaining power brokers, expanding strikes against security installations and militias, covertly supporting insurgent factions, and using Maduro’s prospective trial as a global stage on which to delegitimize Chavismo once and for all.—
Robert Muggah,
Fortune,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Unplugged ultimately argues that nontraditional choices, global curiosity, and openness to unexpected opportunity can lead to extraordinary professional and personal fulfillment.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Dec. 2025
-
Oldham County Schools shifted to a nontraditional instruction day, while Bullitt County closed, administrators said.—
Caroline Neal,
Louisville Courier Journal,
12 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Generally, the defectors don’t go far.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Netanyahu’s efforts to bolster his message and lure defectors back to the pro-Israel cause extend beyond Bible study.—
Andrew Cockburn,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Apostate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apostate. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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