1
as in deserters
a person who abandons a cause or organization usually without right
traditionally armies have dealt harshly with recreants, with execution being a common punishment for desertion during wartime
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cowards
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
3
as in traitors
one who betrays a trust or an allegiance
a spy and recreant to his country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for recreants
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 -
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
Noun
-
And Trump calls ’em almost like cowards.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Put beaks on the helmets, you cowards.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But that does not mean that those Maryland families with pre-war Confederate roots were, or are, traitors.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Underwood not only survived several murders but takes pride in having a hand in eliminating three out of the four original traitors, including Donna Kelce, Lisa Rinna and Dillard Bassett.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Petro also urged the rebels to back efforts to replace coca crops in the northeastern Catatumbo region.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Feb. 2026
-
With Yemen challenged by the social and economic effects of a sporadic but ongoing civil war between Houthi rebels and the central government, conditions have proven difficult for Almatrahi and his family members to visit their homeland.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Dutch, French, Portuguese and Belgian families each kept a few, a dozen, or a couple of hundred milk cows on land that’s now too expensive even to keep chickens.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
-
All the chickens, turkeys, goats, and pigs carry a certain odor, their makeshift habitat a distinct unsightliness, which disagree with Bruce and his husband Darrell’s more regal tastes.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Those funds often backed far-right Republican insurgents.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Amid the nods to social media and cancel culture and the shallow perils of modern celebrity, the image of Taylor-Joy’s disciplined group of insurgents, who speak in almost archaic, poetic dialogue, strikes a bracing contrast.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
But a few renegades creatively defected across the pond, looking instead at America for inspiration.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
23 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Recreants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recreants. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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