recreant 1 of 2

Definition of recreantnext
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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
  • Others are afraid to leave their homes to do mundane things like getting groceries or shoveling snow and clearing ice from their sidewalks.
    Bao Phi, Time, 13 Jan. 2026
  • The lawsuit by the city and state says the campaign had a chilling effect, making residents afraid to leave home.
    Rebecca Santana, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Russell fabricates a lie with the rest of the villains, and the heroes believe it, despite a warning from one traitorous tribemate.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025
  • That video drew the ire of President Donald Trump, who deemed it traitorous.
    Mike Wall, Space.com, 25 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • After a British deserter mistakenly gains immortality during the American Revolution, he is forced to face his cowardly past and fight against a sinister plot to destroy America.
    Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • He and the cowards of Congress should be held accountable in the next election cycle.
    Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 11 Jan. 2026
  • Tim Walz and Jacob Frey are cowards who are inciting violence to distract from their own failures.
    Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 7 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Hemphill spoke alongside former Capitol police officer Winston Pingeon, who described being punched in the face, pepper sprayed, and called a traitor by the rioters.
    Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 7 Jan. 2026
  • The J6ers were not insurrectionists, traitors, and miscreants but patriots, heroes, and innocents.
    Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • The article quotes two current professors but doesn’t explore why other faculty members critical of the school were too frightened to speak on the record in what Corcoran described as a campus finally open to different opinions.
    Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026
  • Freedom from fear mattered because frightened societies are easily manipulated.
    Philip Martin, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Plants that provide winter interest, including sedums, goldenrod, blue false indigo, and ornamental grasses.
    Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Jan. 2026
  • Today’s teenagers can produce a TikTok video in minutes, but how many of them will learn to analyze the president’s false claim that Tylenol causes autism?
    Mary Ellen Klas, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Brooks Koepka’s decision to leave LIV Golf years after becoming one of the notable faces to join the renegade league sent shock waves through the sport this week.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 27 Dec. 2025
  • Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said last month that a Chinese attack on Taiwan — which Beijing claims as a renegade province — could spark a military response from Tokyo, leading to the countries’ worst diplomatic crisis in years.
    Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 9 Dec. 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 14 Jan. 2026.

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