recreant 1 of 2

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recreant

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noun

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as in coward
a person who shows a shameful lack of courage in the face of danger the historian reserved his greatest contempt for those recreants who opposed the witch hunt but lacked the courage to speak out against it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for recreant
Adjective
  • Tessa Kluetz Pernell designs interiors that aren’t afraid to make a bold statement.
    Elizabeth Stamp, Architectural Digest, 3 Nov. 2025
  • The Rings of Power, but those are based on proven IP, at a moment when the industry seems afraid to spend big on anything but brand names.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Clarisse looks intimidating climbing out of a boat, as does Bushnell’s traitorous Luke, who wields a sharp-looking knife.
    Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 24 July 2025
  • There's a delicious whodunit aspect to it, too, as the list of five potentially traitorous suspects includes the operative's own high-profile wife (Cate Blanchett).
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 July 2025
Noun
  • More important, though, is the fact that the judge who posited that hordes of deserters could follow Vovchenko’s example seems to be overstepping his role.
    Air Mail, Air Mail, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Language purists like to remind anyone who will listen that decimation actually means the slaughter of one in ten people, and was the military punishment wielded by the Roman army against deserters and mutineers.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The crowd applauds for 13 seconds both at the intense, almost Chris Farley–esque yell itself and the absurdity of Maron’s desire to be a manly coward.
    John Roy, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Just an utter coward folding to this embarrassing paper tiger administration.
    Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • When an anarchist frames one of them for treason, another is determined to track down a traitor.
    Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025
  • The competition show takes place in Scotland and has cast members divided into two groups, traitors and faithfuls, and the faithfuls try to vote off the traitors to win a cash prize.
    Jenni Fink, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Sometimes, a frightened reaction is inexplicable.
    The Atlantic Culture Desk, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2025
  • The Japanese had cyclotrons but no nuclear lobby driven by frightened, concerned, or ambitious scientists.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Several residents who work in the Georgia King Village area weighed in on the incident, including Harriette Guity, who told News12 that false reports based on AI could stretch first responders thin.
    Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Archaeologists concluded the structure was actually a false tomb, or a cenotaph, a type of burial monument erected to honor a deceased person buried elsewhere.
    Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Paso Robles is independent, even a bit renegade.
    Justin Goldman, AFAR Media, 24 Oct. 2025
  • For years, Hollywood content creators have warned about piracy, whether through bootleg VHS tapes, or BitTorrent, or renegade streaming providers.
    Dominic Patten, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Recreant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recreant. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.

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