APOSTATIZE Synonyms: 25 Similar and Opposite Words

apostatize

verb

Definition of apostatize

as in to renounce

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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 apostatize The conundrum is one that has nothing to do with Rodrigues’ decision whether to lay down his life, but with his reluctance to apostatize, even in the face of others’ deaths. — Michael O'Sullivan, The Denver Post, 6 Jan. 2017 In one of the more powerful sequences, three older men are hung from crosses positioned deep in the ocean’s waters — the thrashing waves killing them slowly for their refusal to apostatize. — Lindsey Bahr, Orange County Register, 6 Jan. 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for apostatize

Verb

If Vance were to renounce Carlson over a matter as trivial as, say, Carlson’s oddly positive assessment of Adolf Hitler, what hope is there for society?

— Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2026
Know More Andrews wants the party to embrace term limits and renounce congressional stock trading and corporate contributions.

— Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of renounce

Verb

Thoroughly unimpressed by her suburban idyll, and evidently unmoved by her responsibilities as wife and mother, Denise labors in her basement on a novel whose protagonist wishes to forsake her family for a life in New York.

— Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2026
Alicent’s forsaken him, and his betrothed has turned out to be a damned and ancient witch.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of forsake

Verb

For English readers, whose cultures and histories have largely been defined by the individual, Anedda’s more collective interpretation of an identity repudiates social definitions.

— Wallis Wilde-Menozzi, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026
Over the years, questions about the evidence against Smith emerged as a witness recanted, Lowden repudiated his earlier statement implicating Smith, and another man claimed responsibility for Hart's killing.

— Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of repudiate

Verb

Metcalf credits his unusual durability with an unusual ability to reject himself.

— Jonathan Jones, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
In 2024, the court rejected an emergency request from Nicaragua to order Germany to halt military and other aid to Israel in Gaza, but the 16-judge panel declined to throw out the case altogether.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of reject

Verb

To reach the quarterfinals in New York, Zheng had to accept her newfound station in tennis — not to abandon her confidence for the sake of humility, but to combine her natural self-belief with acceptance of her reality and a new perspective.

— Ava Wallace, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Masson credited the town’s surveillance cameras with capturing the fleeing pair abandoning at least one of the paintings and the city’s police force with a quick response.

— News Desk, Artforum, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of abandon

Verb

The popular king modernized the royal house but refused to follow in the footsteps of other aging monarchs who have abdicated in recent times.

— CBS News, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
Around the same time, his former deputy private secretary suggested that Harald should abdicate at the egalitarian country's normal retirement age of 67.

— Terje Solsvik, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of abdicate

Browse Nearby Words

apostates

apostatize

apostatized

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“Apostatize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apostatize. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of apostatize

verb

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