recreants

noun

plural of recreant
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

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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
  1. deserters
  2. cowards
  3. traitors
  4. rebels
  5. chickens
  6. insurgents
  7. renegades
Noun
  • And within his own country’s history, particularly, Dhont discovered the fates that met would-be deserters who were caught — brutal sentences often leading to death.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
  • 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
Definition of deserters
Noun
  • Some called them cowards; others opted for more colorful language.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 19 Oct. 2026
  • There are always vultures circling, and always cowards caving.
    — Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of cowards
Noun
  • On Monday evening, groups of people also stormed the notorious pro-Vucic private Informer television that has led a campaign labeling student protesters as enemies of the state and traitors.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The traitors might have an easier time following the seduction of social media star King Kenny, who is considered a real traitor-hunter by the faithful.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of traitors
Noun
  • The most recent, Vietnam, was won by the communist rebels, and that country is stable today.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026
  • In December 2024, Syrian rebels streamed into Damascus in a surprise attack that toppled President Bashar al-Assad and put an end to more than 13 bloody years of civil war.
    — Emily Feng, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of rebels
Noun
  • The property itself is full of life as well, with alpacas grazing, chickens clucking, and a muster of peacocks running between hedgerows.
    — Chloe Laws, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Nov. 2026
  • There were pet pictures and even some feathers to remember the chickens Wendy used to raise.
    — John Ramos, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of chickens
Noun
  • Polling averages put Democratic insurgents narrowly ahead or virtually tied with GOP rivals in all the states.
    — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Will the Democrats have to contend with left-wing insurgents like Republicans did the Tea Party?
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of insurgents
Noun
  • In some ways, there is a strange kind of unity to these three—all are set during the Depression, all feature stylish renegades.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026
  • There are Sixties rock bands like the Sonics and the Small Faces, and pioneering hippie renegades like Love or the Thirteenth Floor Elevators.
    — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2026
Definition of renegades
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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recreant
recreants
recreate
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Cite this Entry

“Recreants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recreants. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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