1
as in deserters
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 traitors
one who betrays a trust or an allegiance
became an apostate to liberalism after he had gotten wealthy
Synonyms & Similar 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 apostates
Brown and O’Neill cast themselves less as Sandberg’s heirs than as her apostates.
—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 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
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apostates
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.
-
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.
Noun
-
Keep your actual and suspected traitors closer – the non-loyal, uncommitted, secretive, suspicious, dishonest, deceitful, chronically negative, and regularly undermining.
-
Both groups were accused of being spies, traitors and collaborators, according to the report.
Noun
-
People didn’t come to the series with a working knowledge of the State Department, ready to see what the renegades were like.
-
The men who once styled themselves renegades increasingly resembled every other hyper-online young guy—gaming, memeing, trading.
Noun
-
That's partly because eastern Congo is also battling ongoing violence from rebels.
-
That’s partly because eastern Congo is also battling ongoing violence from rebels.
Noun
-
Ocasio-Cortez, who may be eyeing a House leadership role or Senate bid, has stayed out of key New York City-area House races, unlike Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Sanders, who are backing insurgents trying to oust incumbents.
-
Two very different—and very close—insurgents Warshaw’s path to this race runs through the places where New York’s biggest problems actually live.
Cite this Entry
“Apostates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apostates. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
