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
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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
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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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Russia is also reported to have forcibly sent hundreds of its military deserters to the front line in Ukraine.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Apr. 2025
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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
Noun
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In an effort to figure out who the traitor on his team is, Ethan Hunt needs the NOC list, which contains the identities of every American spy.—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
27 May 2025
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The Confederacy — traitors — were fighting to keep my ancestors enslaved.—
Hashim Coates,
Denver Post,
5 May 2025
Adjective
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Their partnership started as a unique, renegade effort to avoid turning these $70,000 EVs into bricks.—
Emily Forlini,
PC Magazine,
20 May 2025
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The film was inspired by the ideas of renegade independent filmmaker John Cassavetes, so Rozek initially saw Cassavetes’ wife and muse Gena Rowlands in the lead role.—
C.J. Prince,
IndieWire,
8 May 2025
Noun
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Set in a crumbling Japanese metropolis rebuilt after a devastating explosion, Akira follows teenage rebels Kaneda and Tetsuo as secret government experiments unleash psychic forces capable of unmaking the world.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
21 May 2025
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Bombs go off to separate the authorities from the rebels.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
20 May 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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For decades, the Philippine armed forces battled insurgents in the southern reaches of the archipelago.—
ELY RATNER,
Foreign Affairs,
27 May 2025
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The insurgents have become the establishment, and the purpose of the establishment is always to protect itself.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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With protections extending to individuals with criminal histories, unstable housing, or nontraditional body types, the city’s latest ordinance makes inclusive hiring a legal mandate.—
Alonzo Martinez,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
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The nontraditional tour has been widely well-received, though police appeared to shut down an event in Missouri.—
Micki Fahner,
NBC news,
28 May 2025
Adjective
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Transcending sectarian differences, these Irish patriots took green as the color of their national flag.—
Joseph Patrick Kelly,
The Conversation,
20 May 2025
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By subsidizing private faith and sectarian instruction, ECCA would infringe on that foundational civil right for nonreligious and religious Americans alike.—
Kevin Sabet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Apostate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apostate. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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