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

Advertisement Several branches of the Japanese imperial family renounced their royal status in 1947 to cut down on costs the monarchy incurred after the war.

— Chad de Guzman, Time, 26 Oct. 2026
The plan is to find candidates from families that renounced their royal status in 1947, which at the time was to ease the postwar financial burden on the monarchy.

— Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 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 big pharmaceutical companies have largely abandoned the quest for new antibiotics, because the research and development needed to discover them is time-consuming and expensive.

— Zoë Schiffer, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 2026
They are joined by other Democrats who have spent years trying to push the party to abandon its more cautious approach to governing, and could now get their chance.

— David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of abandon

Verb

Naruhito assumed the duties of emperor, a position with ceremonial roles but no political power, after his father Akihito abdicated earlier in the year.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of abdicate

Verb

When Lear disowns her, the King of France accepts Cordelia as his wife and takes her back to his homeland.

— Langdon Hammer, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
In Michigan, Mike Rogers has disowned the president’s tariffs, calling for an end to Trump’s trade war against Canada.

— Kate Andrews, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of disown

Verb

Construction crews are continuing work on a major anti-flooding project in the West Avenue neighborhood of Miami Beach despite a lawsuit filed by the contractor, which wants to quit the project.

— Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026
The puppeteering incenses Morgan, who storms into Cathcarts to demand his lawyers quit playing games and get on with litigation already.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of quit

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apostates

apostatize

apostatized

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“Apostatize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apostatize. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of apostatize

verb

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