1
as in deserter
a person who abandons a cause or organization usually without right
an apostate from communism, he later became one of its harshest critics
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in traitor
one who betrays a trust or an allegiance
became an apostate to liberalism after he had gotten wealthy
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in renegade
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of apostate
Warren P. Strobel, arkansasonline.com, 26 Jan. 2025
The speech reflected his role in the campaign: an attack dog deployed most often to the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, where the campaign believes its apostate of elite culture connects with the white working-class voters who may decide the election.
—Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 26 Sep. 2024
Many like him feel like these apostates among Tesla’s faithful have been little more than fair-weather friends of Musk.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 10 June 2024
All the while, Islamist leaders throughout the Muslim world have vilified Riyadh as a U.S. lackey and an apostate regime.
—Bernard Haykel, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for apostate
Noun
The Islamic State group follows a hard-line version of Sunni Islam and considers Shiite Muslims to be apostates.
—Warren P. Strobel, arkansasonline.com, 26 Jan. 2025
The speech reflected his role in the campaign: an attack dog deployed most often to the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, where the campaign believes its apostate of elite culture connects with the white working-class voters who may decide the election.
—Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 26 Sep. 2024
Many like him feel like these apostates among Tesla’s faithful have been little more than fair-weather friends of Musk.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 10 June 2024
All the while, Islamist leaders throughout the Muslim world have vilified Riyadh as a U.S. lackey and an apostate regime.
—Bernard Haykel, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for apostate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apostate
Noun
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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
-
The American president is a traitor to the democratic world.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2025
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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
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Written and directed by Warwick Thornton, the Australian filmmaker behind titles like Sweet Country and Samson & Delilah, The New Boy takes place in 1940s Australia at a remote monastery with a mission for Aboriginal children run by a renegade nun, Sister Eileen (Blanchett).—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
8 Apr. 2025
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Behind the scenes, he’s been even more aggressive, courting members of Congress to join his renegade mission.—
Eric Cortellessa,
TIME,
18 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In confrontations with both India and Iran, Pakistan has consistently denied offering safe haven to transnational rebels at a time when the country was struggling to stem a deadly wave of attacks by insurgents against its own soldiers and civilians.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025
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Many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels’ goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.—
Aijaz Hussain,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Such was the case this past weekend, when tens of millions of fans keyed in on the denouement of the college basketball season at the expense of lesser spectacles such as spring football and one notoriously schismatic pro golf startup.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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The potential members of a schismatic Catholic sect are located in areas of the world such as the United States, where the church has significant financial resources and assets, plus a wide array of independent Catholic institutions that operate largely outside the hierarchy of the church.—
Massimo Faggioli,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Oct. 2018
Noun
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Meanwhile, the insurgents attacking the American soldiers are truly faceless.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
11 Apr. 2025
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The mission began in fairly standard form: The SEALs infiltrated a bleak and dusty corner of Ramadi that happened to overlook a marketplace and, unbeknownst to them, also sat across from the lair of the Iraqi insurgents.—
Fred Schruers,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Golden lived with his mother and grandmother growing up and occasionally lived in hotels and other nontraditional housing.—
Matt Schneidman,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
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As solid color gowns continue to go mainstream, colorful florals, whether printed or embellished, are destined to be the next frontier for nontraditional brides looking to stand out.—
Emily Mercer,
Footwear News,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Because civil wars and counterinsurgency operations are fought in and among populations, civilians bear the brunt of the harm from these wars, not only by being caught up in deliberate sectarian violence or crossfire but also because they are forced to flee their homes.—
Lawrence D. Freedman,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Apr. 2025
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The Assad family, members of the minority Alawite sect, ruled Syria for over half a century until Assad was ousted late last year by Sunni Islamist militants who sought to reshape the country’s political and sectarian order.—
Eyad Kourdi,
CNN,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Apostate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apostate. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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