apostatize

verb

Definition of apostatizenext
as in to renounce

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of apostatize The conundrum is one that has nothing to do with Rodrigues’ decision whether to lay down his life, but with his reluctance to apostatize, even in the face of others’ deaths. — Michael O'Sullivan, The Denver Post, 6 Jan. 2017 In one of the more powerful sequences, three older men are hung from crosses positioned deep in the ocean’s waters — the thrashing waves killing them slowly for their refusal to apostatize. — Lindsey Bahr, Orange County Register, 6 Jan. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apostatize
  1. renounce
  2. forsake
  3. repudiate
  4. reject
  5. abandon
  6. abdicate
  7. disown
  8. quit
Verb
  • Although economic espionage is not without risk, unilaterally renouncing the practice in the current global environment is far more dangerous.
    — DAVID S. COHEN, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2026
  • China claims Taiwan as its sovereign territory and has never renounced the use of force to achieve unification.
    — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of renounce
Verb
  • Thoroughly unimpressed by her suburban idyll, and evidently unmoved by her responsibilities as wife and mother, Denise labors in her basement on a novel whose protagonist wishes to forsake her family for a life in New York.
    — Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Alicent’s forsaken him, and his betrothed has turned out to be a damned and ancient witch.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of forsake
Verb
  • El-Sayed has since disavowed Piker’s controversial statements and ended plans for joint campaigning, but has not categorically repudiated him nor apologized for appearing with him.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The reflex to regard America’s earlier representational and nationalist traditions as something to be repudiated, rather than reconsidered, is learned — not inevitable.
    — Frank Porcu, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of repudiate
Verb
  • Quebec voters have twice rejected independence, most recently by a razor-thin margin in a 1995 referendum.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • For countries that rejected the open international order, as the axis countries do today, the benefits were far fewer and the penalties considerable.
    — Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of reject
Verb
  • Executives from ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, BP and TotalEnergies abandoned the event, the FT reported, due to the potential danger.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2026
  • In Peru, the world’s largest catcher of anchovies, the fishing industry collapsed after the tiny baitfish abandoned the country’s waters for cooler northern climes.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of abandon
Verb
  • After both sisters had abdicated planning the memorial, logistical matters—the casket and its transport, the readings, and, yes, the flowers—had fallen to the front desk volunteer of a church my grandmother no longer attended.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Now, the Department has decided that obedience supersedes all else, requiring us to abdicate our legal and ethical obligations in favor of directions from Washington.
    — Eyal Press, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of abdicate
Verb
  • Her solution is to disown Brooke, should the memoir ever see the light of day.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Kwong Kau came to disown Choi and allegedly tried to assault her on one occasion, Draycott said.
    — Chris Lau, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of disown
Verb
  • Theo was thinking about quitting his job to start his own business, which meant, for a time, no income.
    — Joan Martelli, Time, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Lonely employees are roughly twice as likely to quit their job.
    — Jordan Dunin, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of quit

Browse Nearby Words

apostates
apostatize
apostatized
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Cite this Entry

“Apostatize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apostatize. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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