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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
  • Don’t be afraid of just pausing for a second — this could be a great time for more dirty talk or caressing — particularly once the whole hand is inside.
    Quispe López, Them., 30 Apr. 2025
  • Hairston impressed at the combine in Indianapolis by running a 4.28 40-yard dash and has the speed to keep everything in front while not being afraid to get physical.
    Bryce Lazenby, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Smith made out their former collaborators to be ungrateful and traitorous, and the kids weren't given the space to question her command.
    Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Foreign military interventions can change victims from being viewed as a nuisance into being seen as powerful and traitorous enemies, potentially capable of exacting revenge, seizing power, or breaking away from the state.
    Benjamin A. Valentino, Foreign Affairs, 17 Oct. 2011
Noun
  • Its return hearkens back to other periods in American history when firing squads were more common, such as the colonial era and the Civil War, when it was used against deserters.
    Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 7 Mar. 2025
  • The dominant plot thread involves a romance between Lucia and Pietro (Giuseppe De Domenico), a Sicilian deserter who catches Lucia’s eye.
    Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • There is no way a coward like Musk is in a position to accuse Sen. Kelly of being a traitor.
    DP Opinion, The Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2025
  • This is a cop novel that fully satisfies its genre expectations — chases, gun battles, sinister bad guys, questionable cops, cowards and heroes.
    Claude Peck, Boston Herald, 16 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The American president is a traitor to the democratic world.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2025
  • If that isn’t pressure enough, the women are faced with a mysterious traitor who emerges, years later, as the three friends are torn apart.
    Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • When a deputy arrived, the victim was shaking and frightened, the complaint said.
    Dylan Gentile, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025
  • The next night, her sister Gwen said Selonia became frightened when a relative who was visiting Selonia spotted Jimmy Ray Barnes near her home.
    Vladimir Duthiers, Paul LaRosa, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Last year’s 17-9 start proved to be a false spring, one that lulled fans into thinking Craig Counsell replacing David Ross was the real difference between an 83-win Cubs team and the postseason.
    Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Environmental protection versus energy affordability is a false choice.
    Noah Ginsburg, New York Daily News, 23 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • While one reading of Xi is that his rhetoric is in part a strategic move to burnish Chinese power globally, labeling Taiwan as a renegade or breakaway province is, for many, a clear indication of an intention to invade and bring the island within the geography of Chinese sovereignty.
    Colin Flint, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2025
  • The renegades were attempting to void the ACC’s grant-of-rights agreement, which would clear them to join the SEC or Big Ten.
    Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 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 5 May. 2025.

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