defection
Americannoun
-
desertion from allegiance, loyalty, duty, or the like; apostasy.
His defection to East Germany was regarded as treasonable.
- Antonyms:
- loyalty
-
failure; lack; loss.
He was overcome by a sudden defection of courage.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of defection
1535–45; < Latin dēfectiōn- (stem of dēfectiō ), equivalent to dēfect ( us ) ( see defect) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Is your team so bad you have begun supporting a rival team? Then you're guilty of defection — the act of shifting your support to a new cause. Most people won't thank you for your defection. No matter how much you might believe in the new sports team, or political party, or whatever, defection is generally used as a critical term. Defection implies a lack of character — as you can tell by looking at its Latin roots, which come from the word defectionum, meaning "desertion, revolt, failure." Clearly, no one likes a defector.
Vocabulary lists containing defection
"Coming of Age in the Dawnland," Vocabulary from the historical excerpt
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My Brother Sam is Dead
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Mockingjay
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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.
Defection from the mainstream is preferable to assimilation, and if the proverbial desert does not promise deliverance, it inspires a particular attunement.
From The New Yorker • Oct. 23, 2019
April 26 The Morning Line: Eskendereya’s Defection The Derby once again loses an early favorite to injury.
From New York Times • Apr. 27, 2010
Defection would mean losing all of these sure advantages for a doubtful future in a strange country.
From Time Magazine Archive
But the great fact remains that the Defection of the Netherlands and the Thirty Years' War are the earliest historical classics in the German language.
From The German Classics of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Volume 03 Masterpieces of German Literature Translated into English. in Twenty Volumes by Francke, Kuno
In point of readableness 'The Defection of the Netherlands' is vastly superior to any previous historical writing in the German language.
From The Life and Works of Friedrich Schiller by Thomas, Calvin
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.
