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
  • Those who opposed the coup, like Tom Keith's grandfather, are still often thought of as traitors, just as his distant relatives are.
    — Lee Cowan, CBS News, 12 July 2026
  • Irina and Raskova will enjoy a long, successful professional collaboration, purging Star City of traitors and threats and bringing down Petrovsky in a plot that leads to his ending his life in ignominy, having confessed to crimes against the state.
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 10 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
  • Mali’s junta has accused Algeria of backing local extremist rebels who are linked to the Muslim militant group al-Qaida.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 July 2026
  • That was the year the United States went to war with Spain in Cuba alongside Cuban and Puerto Rican rebels and in the Philippines.
    — Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 10 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
  • But Democratic leaders fear that the insurgent candidates risk blowing winnable races for Democrats with messages considered too radical for most voters.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 July 2026
  • Across the country, insurgent candidates-—-perhaps most notably Zohran Mamdani in New York City—have found traction by presenting themselves as unapologetic fighters willing to challenge both Republicans and their own party’s leadership.
    — Nik Popli, Time, 8 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
  • Note the poster of the defector Mikhail Baryshnikov hawking Crime and Punishment.
    — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 25 June 2026
  • Anthropic, whose ranks include many safety-minded defectors from its rival, argues the slower rollout will help society adapt to the powerful new tools.
    — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 17 June 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 15 Jul. 2026.

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