infidels

Definition of infidelsnext
plural of infidel
as in dissenters
disapproving a person who does not believe in a religion that someone regards as the true religion The theocracy regarded as infidels anyone that did not practice their religion.

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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 infidels Sunni imams issued fatwas, legal condemnations by Islamic religious leaders, against us infidels. Literary Hub, 4 Mar. 2026 Al Qaeda and Islamic State generally view Shiites as infidels and consider Iran a mortal enemy. Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026 For those infidels keeping score at home, exactly one year ago today, Carrnac gazed into his crystal ball and presciently predicted both the acquittal of Karen Read and the conviction of Tania Fernandes Anderson. Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 31 Dec. 2025 The group follows an extreme interpretation of Sunni Islam and considers Shiites to be infidels. Arkansas Online, 27 Dec. 2025 The ideology of the groups appears to categorize anyone not subscribing to their extremist views as infidels, whether Muslims or Christians. Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025 During the Crusades, the Inquisition, and countless pogroms, Jews were demonized as infidels who refused to abandon their faith, even under threat of death. Avi Weiss, New York Daily News, 10 Aug. 2025 War in Syria When the Syrian civil war erupted in March 2011, Syrian Druze were targeted at times by both the Assad regime, which pressured them to support it, and by Islamist rebel groups that regarded them as infidels. Asher Kaufman, The Conversation, 21 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infidels
Noun
  • Examples include dissenters citing anti-war sentiments or disapproval of the government’s handling of the Epstein files.
    Maximilian Brichta, The Conversation, 22 Apr. 2026
  • Others have been prosecuted under a counterterrorism law that carries a potential death penalty and has been used to target political and armed opponents, journalists and other dissenters.
    ABC News, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Pseudonyms were important in the colonial and Revolutionary eras to protect dissidents from retaliation by English officials.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Both are dissidents of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that operate in the region.
    ABC News, ABC News, 26 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The men who once styled themselves renegades increasingly resembled every other hyper-online young guy—gaming, memeing, trading.
    Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 17 Mar. 2026
  • But in order to remain a meaningful platform for creative renegades, the festival needs to also take risks.
    Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • An idea could be forming despite unbelievers.
    Magi Helena, Dallas Morning News, 14 Mar. 2026
  • Peppering dashes of humor into its brew of foreboding, the movie views the rise of an authoritarian movement through its effect on a family of unbelievers, covering a five-year period that begins in celebration and ends somewhere very different.
    Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Infidels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infidels. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.

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