apostate

noun

apos·​tate ə-ˈpä-ˌstāt 

-stət

: one who commits apostasy

apostate adjective

Synonyms

• defector
• deserter
• recreant
• renegade

Examples of apostate in a Sentence

an apostate from communism, he later became one of its harshest critics

became an apostate to liberalism after he had gotten wealthy

Recent Examples on the Web

The GOP may be condensed and purified of apostates. —S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 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

If the conflict in Syria is a religious war against apostates rather than a geopolitical scuffle, more militants will be drawn toward the conflict and away from the crown. —Andrew L. Peek, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2016

Word History

Etymology

Middle English apostata, apostate, in part continuing Old English apostata (weak noun), in part borrowed from Anglo-French apostate, apostata, both borrowed from Late Latin apostata "rebel against God, fallen Christian, heretic," borrowed from Late Greek apostátēs "rebel against God, apostate," going back to Greek, "defector, rebel," from aposta-, variant stem of aphístamai, aphístasthai "to stand away from, keep aloof from, revolt" + -tēs, agent suffix — more at apostasy

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

apostate

noun

apos·​tate ə-ˈpäs-ˌtāt 

-tət

: one who commits apostasy

apostate adjective