apostate
Americannoun
adjective
noun
adjective
Usage
What does apostate mean? An apostate is someone who has totally abandoned or rejected their religion. It can also be used in a slightly more general way to refer to someone who has totally abandoned or rejected their principles, cause, party, or other organization. The word typically implies that before the rejection, one had a strong connection or involvement. The act of such abandoning or rejecting is called apostasy. Both apostasy and apostate are usually used in a way that’s critical of such abandonment—or that at least implies that others who remain in the religion or cause are critical of the departure. Apostate is sometimes used more specifically to refer to someone who rejects Christianity, but the term is also used in the context of other religions, such as Islam. Less commonly, apostate can be used as an adjective meaning guilty of apostasy or characterized by apostasy, as in He was condemned for his apostate writings. Example: The pastor’s sermon condemned apostasy—the trouble is, the apostates weren’t there to hear it.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of apostate
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Late Latin apostata, from Greek apostátēs, equivalent to apósta(sis) apostasy + -tēs, noun suffix
Explanation
An apostate is someone who has deserted his cause. The word apostate originally comes from a Greek word that meant "runaway slave." Now, apostate has a religious or political tone to it, so someone might call you "a political apostate" if you ran for office as a Republican during one election and then ran as a Democrat in the following election.
Vocabulary lists containing apostate
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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hard words
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George Washington's Farewell Address (1796)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Neil, casting himself as disciple, scours the notebooks and discovers that his instructor’s scholarly interests centered around Julian the Apostate — Roman emperor, soldier, scholar and denouncer of Christianity.
From New York Times • Aug. 17, 2022
It depicts Julian the Apostate, part of Rome's first Christian dynasty, who revived paganism when he became the emperor in AD361.
From BBC • Aug. 8, 2021
There is an Apostate Factor in punditry, a multiplying effect powerful enough to turn any opinion into a newsy opinion.
From Slate • Apr. 30, 2012
It consists of three novels, each one glorifying some significant man into an Antichrist � Julian the Apostate, Leo nardo da Vinci, Peter the Great.
From Time Magazine Archive
A psalm full of associations of battles long ago: sung against Julian the Apostate, used by Charlemagne, Anthony, Dunstan, and many more.
From Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln A Short Story of One of the Makers of Mediaeval England by Marson, Charles L. (Charles Latimer)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
