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

The possibility of revising Article 9 of Japan’s constitution, which renounces war and prohibits a traditional standing army, is no longer taboo in Tokyo.

— David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2026
China claims Taiwan as its sovereign territory and has never renounced the use of force to achieve unification.

— Luke Fountain, CNBC, 23 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

El-Sayed has since disavowed Piker’s controversial statements and ended plans for joint campaigning, but has not categorically repudiated him nor apologized for appearing with him.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026
The reflex to regard America’s earlier representational and nationalist traditions as something to be repudiated, rather than reconsidered, is learned — not inevitable.

— Frank Porcu, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of repudiate

Verb

But Moscow has rejected a ceasefire, saying a comprehensive peace deal must be agreed rather than a temporary truce.

— HANNA ARHIROVA, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
The groups behind the #BlockTheMerger coalition, which had amassed more than 5,700 signatories from actors, filmmakers and industry workers opposed to the deal, filed a brief with the court urging Martínez-Olguín to reject the settlement.

— Todd Spangler, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of reject

Verb

Joe Raedle/Getty Images A North Miami Beach, Florida, mom is facing child neglect charges after allegedly abandoning her four children -- including a 2-month-old and a 2-year-old -- to go on a cruise to the Bahamas, according to court documents.

— Clara McMichael, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
Meanwhile, the prime minister is having to claw back progressives who defected to the Green Party as left-wing factions abandoned Starmer’s Labour over the party’s stance on issues like net zero and the Gaza conflict.

— Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of abandon

Verb

After both sisters had abdicated planning the memorial, logistical matters—the casket and its transport, the readings, and, yes, the flowers—had fallen to the front desk volunteer of a church my grandmother no longer attended.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
Now, the Department has decided that obedience supersedes all else, requiring us to abdicate our legal and ethical obligations in favor of directions from Washington.

— Eyal Press, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of abdicate

Verb

For carpenters, delays and poor weather conditions can disrupt the working hours apprentices need to complete their program, causing some to quit.

— Itzel Franco, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Elfe quit her job in luxury retail and enrolled in a teacher assistant certification program at the center in 2022, before continuing her education in its apprenticeship program.

— Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 2 Oct. 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 6 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of apostatize

verb

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