renegade

American  

[ren-i-geyd] / ˈrɛn ɪˌgeɪd /

noun

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

   Synonyms:

   dissenter, betrayer, deserter, traitor

2. an apostate from a religious faith.

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adjective

1. of or like a renegade; traitorous.

renegade British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of renegade

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

Example Sentences

Mr. Richmond has more on the renegade judge and the man she allegedly assisted in avoiding federal officers:

From The Wall Street Journal

Lane Kiffin, by contrast, bailed on his players and now resembles a renegade pirate at the helm of a flashy speedboat — fast, loud, brash and obsessively searching for buried treasure.

From Los Angeles Times

The project, which blurs boundaries between living and making, captured both Hopper’s renegade spirit and Gehry’s evolving architectural language.

From Los Angeles Times

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.

From BBC

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

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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