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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of apostate
Erick Erickson,
Oc Register,
17 Feb. 2026
Despite its public split from al-Qaeda, HTS retains a Salafi-jihadist ideology rooted in the same intellectual tradition tracing back to Ibn Taymiyya's medieval fatwas on apostates and minorities.
—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
The first such, that of John McCain, in September of 2018, felt like a meeting of the resistance, a clarion call to take up arms where the late senator, another Republican who turned apostate rather than submit to Trump, had left them on the field.
—
Susan B. Glasser,
New Yorker,
20 Nov. 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
To tell Republicans this is to be an apostate.
—
Erick Erickson,
Oc Register,
17 Feb. 2026
Despite its public split from al-Qaeda, HTS retains a Salafi-jihadist ideology rooted in the same intellectual tradition tracing back to Ibn Taymiyya's medieval fatwas on apostates and minorities.
—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
The first such, that of John McCain, in September of 2018, felt like a meeting of the resistance, a clarion call to take up arms where the late senator, another Republican who turned apostate rather than submit to Trump, had left them on the field.
—
Susan B. Glasser,
New Yorker,
20 Nov. 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
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And within his own country’s history, particularly, Dhont discovered the fates that met would-be deserters who were caught — brutal sentences often leading to death.
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The love story of a Confederate deserter (Jude Law) journeying back to his North Carolina home and his love (Nicole Kidman) drives the Civil War drama.
Noun
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Harper suspects Bichette, after seven seasons in Toronto, won’t be treated as a traitor.
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In other words, had become a traitor.
Adjective
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As a substitute, the district had hired a renegade hippie, Bromley Stokes, who’d recently washed up in town.
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Then there’s Schiaparelli’s approach to work, which was renegade, and highly collaborative.
Noun
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Gillespie also has a reputation for melding music to movies, as seen in Cruella, his 2021 movie that cast Disney villainess Cruella de Vil as a punk rock rebel in London’s fashion scene.
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The winner is the daughter of the late Alberto Fujimori, the former president whose government in the 1990s defeated the Shining Path extremist rebel group but also took an authoritarian turn.
Adjective
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The potential members of a schismatic Catholic sect are located in areas of the world such as the United States, where the church has significant financial resources and assets, plus a wide array of independent Catholic institutions that operate largely outside the hierarchy of the church.
Noun
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Gray is endorsed by Kansas City’s branch of the Democratic Socialists of America, and represents the insurgent left flank of the Democratic Party in the race.
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Out went what was left of country-club Republicanism; in came the Fifth Avenue insurgent and his MAGA hordes.
Adjective
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To remain tuition-free, Miss Major Middle is launching as a microschool, a nontraditional educational model gaining traction nationwide.
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BabyCenter's annual report on declining names found that nontraditional spellings — such as Charleigh, Alivia, Maddison and Emmitt —have seen a sharp fall in popularity.
Noun
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Note the poster of the defector Mikhail Baryshnikov hawking Crime and Punishment.
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Anthropic, whose ranks include many safety-minded defectors from its rival, argues the slower rollout will help society adapt to the powerful new tools.
Cite this Entry
“Apostate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apostate. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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