apostatize

Definition of apostatizenext

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 Savannah's mom left the church in 2015, when leaked official documents confirmed their policy of apostatizing same-sex couples. Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, 20 June 2017 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
  • Its roots are in publicly paying penance for serious sins or crimes in the eyes of the church, like adultery or apostasy, which means renouncing the church and its beliefs.
    Lianna Norman, Florida Times-Union, 16 Feb. 2026
  • Besson’s vision explores the love that was ripped away from Dracula and how that loss led him to renounce God and live for an eternity as his punishment.
    Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The Padres dressed like the Brewers and Mariners, forsaking the brown-and-gold merchandise boom to come.
    Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Feb. 2026
  • So why would Walter consider forsaking some of those substantial financial resources?
    Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The profound significance of the recent protests lies in their creation of a vast public space where tens of thousands repudiated the lie in unison.
    Azadeh Moaveni, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
  • Whatever the specifics were, this looks like voters repudiated the new voting processes that made the odds lower for any one candidate to advance.
    Dianna Russini, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The Indiana Court of Appeals rejected a Gary man’s bid last week to cut his sentence for attacking multiple women.
    Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
  • Like in the case of Adam Hart, who rejected a digital verdict in order to protect a patient’s lungs, the ultimate value of the nurse in the age of AI may be not their ability to follow the prompt but their willingness to override it.
    Hilke Schellmann, Scientific American, 17 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • One is that OpenAI’s board has apparently abandoned its mission of safety.
    Alnoor Ebrahim, The Conversation, 13 Feb. 2026
  • The tech mogul, who helped found OpenAI, sued Altman and the company in 2024, accusing them of abandoning the firm’s founding values and manipulating him into investing in the ChatGPT maker.
    Julia Shapero, The Hill, 13 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • As systems act more autonomously and with greater speed, humans would be tempted to abdicate decision making in order to leverage their power.
    Deb Roy, The Atlantic, 15 Feb. 2026
  • Healey has clearly decided to abdicate her responsibility to protect taxpayer money.
    Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 7 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • In September 2025, it was revealed that Ferguson sent an email to Epstein apologizing for publicly disowning him in a March 2011 interview with the Evening Standard.
    Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 3 Feb. 2026
  • At the end of her remarks Monday, McCarthy told the court that Mykkanen’s family has disowned Garner.
    Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • But that third period, the girls never quit.
    CBS News, CBS News, 14 Feb. 2026
  • Del Valle recently attended a choreographers conference in Europe and was surprised to learn that many of them had quit dancing.
    Miles Socha, Footwear News, 14 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Apostatize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apostatize. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.

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