recreant 1 of 2

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recreant

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noun

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as in coward
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

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for recreant
Adjective
  • In that moment, McConaughey exemplified a leader who isn’t afraid to embrace vulnerability—a trait that can foster trust and authenticity in any leadership role.
    Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
  • This person spoke anonymously, afraid of reprisal for talking about the system.
    Carrie Johnson, NPR, 1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • But what will their first move as a traitorous duo be?
    Tom Smyth, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025
  • The blame for this terrifying scenario, McCarthy declared, rested with traitorous federal employees, who had sold their country out and had to be purged from its service.
    Made by History, TIME, 9 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The love story of a Confederate deserter (Jude Law) journeying back to his North Carolina home and his love (Nicole Kidman) drives the Civil War drama.
    Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2025
  • The deserters were typically shot simultaneously by three or more fellow soldiers — one of whom might have been issued blanks, rather than live rounds, as was the case in the 2010 Utah execution — to blur the lines of responsibility for the death.
    Jacey Fortin, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The Real Madrid forward reportedly referred to Messi and his teammates as cowards for retreating to the dressing room after Brazilian police attacked a section of Argentine fans.
    Felipe Cardenas, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
  • The employees are spoiled and the investors are cowards.
    Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • At the start of the finale, original traitor Reyes had just been banished at the roundtable.
    Jordana Comiter, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025
  • Reyes has been a traitor since the season premiere, while Haynes is new recruit.
    Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • And this week, there’s a very nice sequence in which Matty walks a frightened Zoey, step-by-step, through what to expect when she gets arrested.
    Noel Murray, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025
  • Igor tries to subdue Ani, who's frightened and enraged, kicking and screaming at the prospect of being separated from her new husband.
    Mandalit del Barco, NPR, 26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • In those documents, West discussed not only how to conduct experiments to implant false memories, instill specific mental disorders, and induce trance states, but also how to hide them.
    Randall Colburn, EW.com, 8 Mar. 2025
  • To illustrate, in the United Kingdom vaccinations took a considerable dip in the early 2000s after Wakefield’ false claims of a link between the MMR shot and autism were posted in the media.
    Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Some have held him up as a renegade, choosing freedom over the comforts of domestic life.
    Rick Rojas, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2025
  • To someone, the renegade and pop-culture memes might be worth a few months’ rent.
    Hank Sanders, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
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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Cite this Entry

“Recreant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recreant. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

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