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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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
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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
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But that guy was a traitor, feeding information (false, in this case) to the Empire, so Saw shoots him, not Wilmon!—
Jesse Hassenger,
Vulture,
30 Apr. 2025
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The American president is a traitor to the democratic world.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 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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Rizvi similarly felt that the U.S. would more likely strive to calm tensions rather than green-light any military operations—describing the Trump administration's language in support of India as closely mirroring remarks delivered in the wake of insurgent attacks against Pakistan.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025
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How is India responding? India has long accused Pakistan of directly backing Islamic insurgents in Kashmir, a charge denied by Islamabad.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Some recipients may seem like nontraditional grantees, as NPR reportedly receives two grants from the agency totaling $65,000.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
5 May 2025
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When traditional sources of capital become limited, developers then seek nontraditional sources to fill gaps in their capital stacks.—
Jill Jones,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Should a blatantly sectarian educational institution qualify for public funding as a charter school?—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2025
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Deadly clashes fueled by sectarian tensions erupted on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, Damascus, killing at least nine people, Syrian officials and a war monitoring group said on Tuesday.—
Euan Ward,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Apostate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apostate. Accessed 11 May. 2025.
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