APOSTATIZE Synonyms: 25 Similar and Opposite Words

apostatize

verb

Definition of apostatize

as in to renounce

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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

Eric Lai, a senior fellow with the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, said every actor in Hong Kong civil society who assumed that renouncing violence and working within the law would be fine has to revise that assumption.

— Kanis Leung, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Yermolaiev has lived in the glitzy city state on the Mediterranean coast for several years, having left Ukraine and renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2019 to become a citizen of Cyprus.

— Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 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

The Athletic reported on Monday that all parties have now been in direct communication to confirm the deal is off after City’s bid of an initial £75m and £5m in add-ons was rejected.

— The Athletic UK Staff, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Palal also rejected the defense’s contention that Davis fabricated his accounts to make money.

— Jonathan Landrum Jr, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of reject

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

Verb

Craig, now a devoted granddad with a dry sense of humor, began working alongside his father at thirteen, quitting school even though teachers warned him that house moving was a dying trade.

— Nicola Twilley, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2026
Hep Spyder blamed Dwight for Buffo Carducci’s quitting on him back when Dwight was Hep’s tent boss.

— Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of quit

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 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of apostatize

verb

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