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
Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2025
In Iran, Baha’is are considered to be apostates and face persecution, marked by extreme violence including extrajudicial killings, torture, and arbitrary detention.
—Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
On the walls, someone had spray painted graffiti calling Alawites dogs and apostates.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 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
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
In Iran, Baha’is are considered to be apostates and face persecution, marked by extreme violence including extrajudicial killings, torture, and arbitrary detention.
—Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
On the walls, someone had spray painted graffiti calling Alawites dogs and apostates.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 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
-
This notably happened during the Civil War with enlistment bounties to track down deserters.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Dec. 2025
-
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
Noun
-
It’s populated by craven, cowardly traitors.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
-
After Kent’s resignation, Republican hawks denounced him as a kook and a traitor to the cause, without touching on the delicate question of why Trump appointed such a disreputable figure in the first place.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Set 500 years in the future, Whedon's original series followed a renegade crew aboard the transport ship Serenity.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Harboring not one but two renegade talents, Tiny Cinema also serves a punk-rock purpose for Weaver, allowing the indie director to present his work in the most enchanting conditions possible.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
As the decade wore on, though, my parents grew up—as happens to young rebels—and my mother, unexpectedly, started thinking about having kids.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Their work and mental health were further disrupted when Houthi rebels in Yemen began attacking ships in the Red Sea, with at least nine sailors killed and 11 others held captive for five months.—
Mithil Aggarwal,
NBC news,
27 Mar. 2026
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
-
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
-
The act as insurgent against privilege, set to die in the rot of reason.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Mills’s primary opponent, oyster farmer and progressive insurgent Graham Platner, echoed other outsiders last year in calling for Schumer to lose his leadership post over his government shutdown dealings with Republicans.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
For people with nontraditional schedules — like first responders, overnight workers and journalists — getting quality sleep can be even more challenging.—
Wakisha Bailey,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
These pivotal memories of Clark and Floyd’s buddy romance amount to another darkly comic portrait of a nontoxic male friendship — complete with nontraditional definitions of manhood that place meaningful friendships over monolithic strength — all built on a foundation of lies and insecurities.—
Andy Andersen,
Vulture,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Drawing at least in part on information from Chalker’s defectors, the Pentagon constructed life-size underground facsimiles of Iranian nuclear facilities where the scientists had worked, attempting to duplicate even the thickness of the walls.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Parties have mostly voted in blocks on major issues in recent years, with small numbers of defectors increasingly rare.—
Alex Derosier,
Twin Cities,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Apostate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apostate. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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