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
Relevance
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
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More important, though, is the fact that the judge who posited that hordes of deserters could follow Vovchenko’s example seems to be overstepping his role.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Language purists like to remind anyone who will listen that decimation actually means the slaughter of one in ten people, and was the military punishment wielded by the Roman army against deserters and mutineers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
When an anarchist frames one of them for treason, another is determined to track down a traitor.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
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The competition show takes place in Scotland and has cast members divided into two groups, traitors and faithfuls, and the faithfuls try to vote off the traitors to win a cash prize.—
Jenni Fink,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
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
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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
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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
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That revelation prodded insurgents in British possessions from Ireland to Sierra Leone to take to the streets to assert their own ambitions for economic and political autonomy over the decades to come.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Ilana presents herself as a stout-hearted reformer who’s being targeted by fascistic insurgents but is secretly evil enough to engineer an apocalypse.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The team has carved out a niche by offering empathetic and straightforward advice tailored to nontraditional earners.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
-
In a show of support for the nontraditional schedule, 62% of voters granted the school board that power.—
The Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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According to Rensch, Kamp took it upon himself to make sure that the boy received special chess training – including hiring the former Soviet defector, Igor Ivanov – and providing funds and transport so Rensch could travel to tournaments around Arizona and the country to test his skills.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Apostate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apostate. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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