DESERTER Synonyms: 43 Similar and Opposite Words

deserter

noun

di-ˈzər-tər

Definition of deserter

as in traitor

a person who abandons a cause or organization usually without right we had orders to find and capture the deserters before they could reveal our location

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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 deserter One of the carriages on Trotsky’s train was set aside as a revolutionary tribunal to deal with deserters and cowards. — Literary Hub, 25 Feb. 2026 During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln pardoned many Union deserters; after it, Andrew Johnson blanket pardoned nearly all Confederate soldiers. — Willem Marx, Vanity Fair, 18 Feb. 2026 This notably happened during the Civil War with enlistment bounties to track down deserters. — Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Dec. 2025 Harry Truman granted amnesty to certain World War II deserters, while Jimmy Carter granted pardons to hundreds of thousands of individuals who dodged the draft during the Vietnam War. — Stewart Ulrich, The Conversation, 15 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for deserter

Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserter

Noun

Vucic, his pro-government media and officials have branded students as traitors and foreign mercenaries.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2026
Aside from his surprise heartthrob status, the British comedian has been vocal about feeling anxious as a traitor.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of traitor

Noun

Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry rejected similar Sudanese accusations in a May 5 statement, calling them baseless, and accused Sudan of supporting rebels in its northern Tigray region.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2026
In Colombia’s rural Guaviare region, poor ranchers eke out a living in obscurity, surrounded by armed rebels who traffic cocaine.

— New York Times, New York Times, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of rebel

Noun

Niger’s ruling junta survived its most serious internal challenge since the 2023 coup after renegade soldiers mutinied in Niamey and Russian Africa Corps fighters helped presidential guards retake a key airbase.

— Chinedu Asadu, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
In some ways, there is a strange kind of unity to these three—all are set during the Depression, all feature stylish renegades.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of renegade

Noun

And their escape routes are narrowing; since Kim sealed off the borders during the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of North Korean defectors reaching South Korea has plummeted.

— Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026
Poaching defectors Netanyahu is likely looking for weak links in the opposition bloc, which spans Israel’s political spectrum.

— Tia Goldenberg, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of defector

Browse Nearby Words

deserted

deserter

deserters

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“Deserter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserter. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of deserter

noun

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