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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

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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
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
  • Brian would have to report back home to his louse of a father to fight or be branded a traitor.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Each season, The Traitors brings together a group of people for a game of deceit, separating the cast into faithfuls and traitors who must try to figure out who is who.
    — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 18 Sep. 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 charges stemmed from fighting more than a decade ago between the predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels who seized power from then-President François Bozizé, and a mainly Christian militia called the anti-Balaka.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
  • In the south, an array of militias and armed groups arose over the years, ostensibly to back the government against the rebels.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of rebel
Adjective
  • Now there is a schismatic group, called the Mazoos (from Missouri) who say that seeing is, etc.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of schismatic
Noun
  • Rancho libertarians, like their Scotch-Irish cousins from another mother, are forever skeptical of government, respect insurgents who want to take on the establishment, love their people and subscribe to a bootstraps approach to life.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Politicians such as El-Sayed, Lawrence, Zohran Mamdani in New York and James Talarico in Texas are not Democratic insurgents.
    — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of insurgent
Adjective
  • Greater institutional participation in tokenized equity markets could contribute to additional trading activity and liquidity, potentially affecting price formation during weekend and other nontraditional trading periods.
    — William Jones, IndyStar, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Kading said a handful of things are needed for a perfect Oktoberfest, like beer, authentic food, games and polka music – in addition to a mix of nontraditional items.
    — Blaise Mesa, jsonline.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of nontraditional
Noun
  • South Korean research has documented possible signs of radiation exposure in defectors from North Korea who lived near the test site, but scientists said the cause remains unclear.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2026
  • But the new work found that if the rewards change with time (even by a small amount), then a second stable point emerges from the model, allowing both cooperators and defectors to coexist.
    — Chris Lee, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 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 29 Sep. 2026.

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