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

Explanation

A renegade is a person who has deserted their cause or defied convention; they're rebels and sometimes outlaws, or even traitors. A long, long time ago, a renegade was a Christian person who decided to become Muslim. That definition is pretty outdated, as these days a renegade is anyone who breaks laws or expectations to do their own thing or join the other side. It might sound kind of cool to be a renegade, like some rogue action hero. But in general, renegade actions are frowned, not smiled, upon.

Example Sentences

In the late 1970s and into the ’80s, a few renegade outsiders like Bill James began questioning the status quo.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

But I find it hard to conceive that the image her leadership so desperately courts—a renegade broadcast company, steelier, rawer, and ineffably realer than its competitors—will ever take hold.

From Slate • Jan. 6, 2026

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 • Dec. 6, 2025

But the woman that people came to know on-screen as the bow-wielding renegade Katniss Everdeen — and off-screen as a goofy straight-shooter — was vilified by the media, discredited for the crime of being herself.

From Salon • Nov. 7, 2025

I don’t want Carlyle mopping my renegade brain into the sea.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

Related Words

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