renegade 1 of 2

noun

ˈre-ni-ˌgād How to pronounce renegade (audio)
Definition of renegadenext
as in deserter
a person who abandons a cause or organization usually without right a band of renegades who had deserted their infantry units and were making their way to Mexico

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

renegade

2 of 2

adjective

as in apostate

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of renegade
Noun
Wang plays down the potential for renegade robots to wreak havoc. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 23 July 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
Adjective
Young Julian might also be surprised by how your Corpus crew, which started kind of like a renegade group of friends, now has real community impact. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2026 Ask the Republican establishment, which watched in 2016 as a renegade presidential candidate remade the party on issues including trade, entitlement reform, and the Iraq War. — Richard D. Kahlenberg, The Atlantic, 13 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for renegade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for renegade
  1. deserter
  2. nontraditional
  3. traitor
  4. rebel
  5. insurgent
  6. defector
Noun
  • The first homesteader was an army deserter from Fort Duchesne to the north.
    — Erwin A. Bauer, Outdoor Life, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Intimate drama set in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, where a young Ukrainian deserter finds refuge with an elderly woman and forms an unlikely bond.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of deserter
Adjective
  • According to the Navy, this approach can help nontraditional defense companies move technologies from research and development toward procurement.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026
  • President Obama was accused of limiting access to independent photojournalists, and famously favored nontraditional media outlets at the advent of the social media age.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of nontraditional
Noun
  • Aside from his surprise heartthrob status, the British comedian has been vocal about feeling anxious as a traitor.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Abby became suspicious of Kuehl during a private conversation about possible traitors in the group.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of traitor
Noun
  • The attack comes as Colombia’s conservative government changes the nation’s security strategy and takes a more confrontational approach towards gangs and rebel groups.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The blast comes amid President Abelardo de la Espriella’s tougher security strategy, which includes ending rebel talks and renewing operations against gangs and armed groups.
    — Manuel Rueda, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of rebel
Noun
  • The Republican reckoning tests a party infrastructure reshaped around the president since his insurgent rise in 2015 transformed the GOP.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 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 insurgent
Noun
  • The leading candidate will have six weeks to form a governing coalition, likely competing for support from defectors in each other's camps.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 28 Oct. 2026
  • South Korea, which in its constitution claims to be the legitimate government of the entire Korean Peninsula, has long accepted and financially supported North Korean defectors.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of defector

Browse Nearby Words

rends
renegade
renegades
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Renegade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/renegade. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of candidate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 SCRABBLE Dictionary

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All