recreant

[rek-ree-uhnt]

adjective

1. cowardly or craven.

   Synonyms: yellow, base, pusillanimous, dastardly
   Antonyms: brave

2. unfaithful, disloyal, or traitorous.

   Synonyms: apostate, untrue, faithless
   Antonyms: loyal

noun

1. a coward.

   Synonyms: dastard
   Antonyms: hero

2. an apostate, traitor, or renegade.

recreant

/ ˈrɛkrɪənt /

adjective

1. cowardly; faint-hearted

2. disloyal

noun

1. a disloyal or cowardly person

Other Word Forms

• recreance noun
• recreantly adverb
• recreancy noun
• unrecreant adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of recreant¹

1300–50; Middle English < Old French, adj. and noun use of present participle of recreire to yield in a contest, equivalent to re- re- + creire < Latin crēdere to believe

Word History and Origins

Origin of recreant¹

C14: from Old French, from recroire to surrender, from _re- + Latin crēdere to believe; compare _miscreant

Example Sentences

When little Vladimir finally relinquished her, with assurances that he was ‘desolated to leave so early’, she was ready to rest, and see how her recreant knight had borne his punishment.

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“As for the Queen, let her hide and be forgiven. But thou, false recreant knight, what cause had’st thou to slay my brother, that loved thee mom than all my kin?”

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Islam is the only religion which has no recreants—It is very difficult, if not impossible, to form an exact idea of the spiritual state of a Moslem evangelized by a Christian.

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Even in that rare moment he was conscious of a regret that it was such a large hand, and his head jerked abruptly as he flung out the recreant thought.

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Thus did Jacob not only triumph over the heathen gods, by carrying them off captive, but continued to adhere to Jehovah, his own God, who did not desert him in his recreant tricks.

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