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

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

apostate

2 of 2

adjective

as in renegade

Related Words

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
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
  1. deserter
  2. traitor
  3. renegade
  4. rebel
  5. schismatic
  6. insurgent
  7. nontraditional
  8. defector
Noun
  • 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.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
  • 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.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 7 Mar. 2026
Definition of deserter
Noun
  • His tenure was upended by the arrest of Aldrich Ames, a CIA traitor.
    — Bob Drogin, Washington Post, 22 July 2026
  • In reality, the big debate has been about questions such as whether military bases should be named for traitors and whether governments should host monuments to a rebellion to defend slavery.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 21 July 2026
Definition of traitor
Adjective
  • The president can call out the army against seceding states and their renegade congresspeople.
    — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
  • As a substitute, the district had hired a renegade hippie, Bromley Stokes, who’d recently washed up in town.
    — Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Definition of renegade
Noun
  • The rebels, meanwhile, saw a golden opportunity to reopen an airspace long shut by Saudi Arabia.
    — Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The group is led by Iyad Ag Ghaly, a veteran of the Tuareg rebel group and a former Malian diplomat.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 July 2026
Definition of rebel
Adjective
  • The Vatican said the consecrations, carried out without the pope’s approval and therefore in conflict with Catholic law, constituted a schismatic act that severed the society’s communion with Rome.
    — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 6 July 2026
  • The highly organized religious extravaganza underscored the society’s international reach despite its schismatic outsider status, and appeal to conservative, traditionalist Catholics wary of the modern, secular world.
    — Jamey Keaten, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of schismatic
Noun
  • The attack occurred in Mastung, a district in Balochistan province where separatist insurgents have stepped up attacks on security forces and civilians in recent months.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 July 2026
  • One of the insurgents, a doctoral student in sociology named Darializa Avila Chevalier, is far more emblematic of the DSA’s radicalism.
    — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 21 July 2026
Definition of insurgent
Adjective
  • Ferdon detailed how the crypto currency exchange became one of the biggest brands in the emerging world of nontraditional finance and banking options.
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 3 July 2026
  • Policies often fail to address tokenized assets and nontraditional trading activity, while surveillance systems still rely primarily on traditional broker and exchange data, leaving much of the decentralized and on-chain environment unmonitored.
    — Kelvin Dickenson, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of nontraditional
Noun
  • Golf's media establishment mocked defectors as sellouts and eagerly counted down the days until LIV's collapse.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026
  • The ending of Agent Kim Reactivated Heading into the season finale, Agent Kim has managed to evade SMD capture by protecting defector Ri Eung-ryeong during the intergovernmental talks between North Korea and South Korea.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 27 July 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 2 Aug. 2026.

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