as in deserters
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of renegades
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
People didn’t come to the series with a working knowledge of the State Department, ready to see what the renegades were like.
—
Debora Cahn,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
The men who once styled themselves renegades increasingly resembled every other hyper-online young guy—gaming, memeing, trading.
—
Clara Molot,
Vanity Fair,
17 Mar. 2026
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
VCs raining money on said brilliant renegades, despite signals that the market wasn’t quite mature enough and money was being lit on fire?
—
Cortney Harding,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Fleeing persecution in this little schoolhouse, we were suddenly transformed into renegades, dissidents.
—
Chandler Fritz,
Harpers Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
Otago is often referred to as one of New Zealand's youngest wine regions, given that, as recently as the mid-1990s, there were only a handful of vineyards run by renegades experimenting to find out which grapes thrived in the climate.
—
David Amsden,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Aug. 2024
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
24 June 2026
People didn’t come to the series with a working knowledge of the State Department, ready to see what the renegades were like.
—
Debora Cahn,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
The men who once styled themselves renegades increasingly resembled every other hyper-online young guy—gaming, memeing, trading.
—
Clara Molot,
Vanity Fair,
17 Mar. 2026
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
VCs raining money on said brilliant renegades, despite signals that the market wasn’t quite mature enough and money was being lit on fire?
—
Cortney Harding,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Fleeing persecution in this little schoolhouse, we were suddenly transformed into renegades, dissidents.
—
Chandler Fritz,
Harpers Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
Otago is often referred to as one of New Zealand's youngest wine regions, given that, as recently as the mid-1990s, there were only a handful of vineyards run by renegades experimenting to find out which grapes thrived in the climate.
—
David Amsden,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for renegades
Noun
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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.
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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.
Noun
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Just one more thing … this organization does not tolerate traitors!
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Keep your actual and suspected traitors closer – the non-loyal, uncommitted, secretive, suspicious, dishonest, deceitful, chronically negative, and regularly undermining.
Noun
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And the old person who rebels is ridiculous.
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There was relative peace for 11 years, until a second civil war erupted in 1983, when leaders in Khartoum imposed sharia (Islamic) law and accelerated repression of the southern Christian rebels, which ultimately allowed a ruthless military officer, Omar al-Bashir, to come to power in 1989.
Noun
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Sistan-Baluchistan, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, has long seen clashes between security forces, insurgents and drug smugglers.
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Nine American soldiers died and 27 others were injured while fighting a battle against 200 Taliban insurgents in the village of Wanat in Afghanistan’s Waygal Valley.
Cite this Entry
“Renegades.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/renegades. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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