renegade

[ren-i-geyd]

noun

1. a person who deserts a party or cause for another.

   Synonyms: dissenter, betrayer, deserter, traitor

2. an apostate from a religious faith.

adjective

1. of or like a renegade; traitorous.

renegade

/ ˈrɛnɪˌɡeɪd /

noun

1. 1. a person who deserts his or her cause or faith for another; apostate; traitor

   2. ( as modifier )

      a renegade priest

2. any outlaw or rebel

Word History and Origins

Origin of renegade¹

First recorded in 1575–85; from Spanish renegado, from Medieval Latin renegātus, noun use of past participle of renegāre “to desert”; renege

Word History and Origins

Origin of renegade¹

C16: from Spanish renegado , from Medieval Latin renegāre to renounce, from Latin _re- + negāre to deny

Example Sentences

A few clicks on Google will find decades of stories raising doubts about his suitability, often accompanied by pictures of Andrew in a top hat, like a renegade Monopoly piece.

Read more on BBC

The vaunted intelligence service of close ally, Cuba, has worked to identify plots and renegades, with intelligence officers placed in every unit.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The rivalry with Gates and Microsoft has been more than just about stock prices and publicity, though, or even beyond personal—Gates the nerd, Ellison the renegade.

Read more on Barron's

Its protagonist, a wandering mercenary, seeks revenge on a group of renegades who murdered her family.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

As the show points out, these designers were regularly dismissed as “outlaws,” “iconoclasts” and “renegades,” all terms they would come to embrace.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• defector 
• deserter 
• dissident 
• heretic 
• insurgent 
• mutineer 
• traitor