apostate 1 of 2

noun

ə-ˈpä-ˌstāt How to pronounce apostate (audio)
Definition of apostatenext
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

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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

apostate

2 of 2

adjective

as in renegade

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of apostate
Noun
Weiss, meanwhile, is a legacy media apostate who launched The Free Press after quitting The New York Times in protest. — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 23 Apr. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for apostate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apostate
  1. deserter
  2. traitor
  3. renegade
  4. rebel
  5. schismatic
  6. insurgent
  7. nontraditional
  8. defector
Noun
  • The first homesteader was an army deserter from Fort Duchesne to the north.
    — Erwin A. Bauer, Outdoor Life, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Intimate drama set in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, where a young Ukrainian deserter finds refuge with an elderly woman and forms an unlikely bond.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of deserter
Noun
  • Aside from his surprise heartthrob status, the British comedian has been vocal about feeling anxious as a traitor.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Abby became suspicious of Kuehl during a private conversation about possible traitors in the group.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of traitor
Adjective
  • The pair head into the Marais in search of a renegade doctor who may hold a cure.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Cult brand Maison Margiela, the label behind the freaky looking tabi shoe, also staged its latest renegade runway show.
    — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of renegade
Noun
  • The attack comes as Colombia’s conservative government changes the nation’s security strategy and takes a more confrontational approach towards gangs and rebel groups.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The blast comes amid President Abelardo de la Espriella’s tougher security strategy, which includes ending rebel talks and renewing operations against gangs and armed groups.
    — Manuel Rueda, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of rebel
Adjective
  • Before his martyrdom, Hippolytus abandoned his schismatic stance and claim to the papacy, and was restored to communion with the Church by Pope Pontian.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Now there is a schismatic group, called the Mazoos (from Missouri) who say that seeing is, etc.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of schismatic
Noun
  • The Republican reckoning tests a party infrastructure reshaped around the president since his insurgent rise in 2015 transformed the GOP.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Will the Democrats have to contend with left-wing insurgents like Republicans did the Tea Party?
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of insurgent
Adjective
  • According to the Navy, this approach can help nontraditional defense companies move technologies from research and development toward procurement.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026
  • President Obama was accused of limiting access to independent photojournalists, and famously favored nontraditional media outlets at the advent of the social media age.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of nontraditional
Noun
  • The leading candidate will have six weeks to form a governing coalition, likely competing for support from defectors in each other's camps.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 28 Oct. 2026
  • South Korea, which in its constitution claims to be the legitimate government of the entire Korean Peninsula, has long accepted and financially supported North Korean defectors.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of defector

Browse Nearby Words

apostasy
apostate
apostates
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Cite this Entry

“Apostate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apostate. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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