apostate means guilty of apostasy. It carries an Arena rating of 1484, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, apostate ranks #2,328 of 14,438 for Most Storied Words, #2,350 of 14,448 for Most Incisive Words, #7,082 of 14,423 for Most Sublime Words, #7,100 of 14,440 for Most Satisfying to Say.
apostate is pronounced /əˈpɒs.teɪt/.
Why “apostate” is a great word
A person who formally and completely renounces a previously held religious faith, political allegiance, or foundational belief. The word descends from the Late Latin *apostata*, itself from the Ancient Greek ἀποστάτης (*apostátēs*, "rebel, deserter"), built from ἀφίστημι (*aphístēmi*, "to withdraw or revolt"), a compound of ἀπό (*apó*, "away from") and ἵστημι (*hístēmi*, "to stand"). Unlike a "heretic," who dissents from within the fold, or a "defector," who crosses to another side, the apostate makes the stark, solitary act of stepping away. It is the monk who burns his robes in the courtyard at dawn, the silence where a creed's recitation once lived, and the deliberate unbinding of a self from its defining story—the quiet, final act of standing apart.
Etymology
From Late Latin apostata, from Ancient Greek ἀποστάτης (apostátēs, “rebel”), from ἀφίστημι (aphístēmi, “to withdraw, revolt”), from ἀπό (apó, “from”) + ἵστημι (hístēmi, “to stand”).
adj
- Guilty of apostasy.“We must punish this apostate priest.”
noun
- A person who has renounced a religion or faith.
- One who, after having received sacred orders, renounces his clerical profession.
- One who has renounced a political party, a cause, etc.“But the most politically damaging blow came from a late-breaking apostate: Mr. Clooney, who just weeks earlier had spent time with Mr. Biden and helped deliver $28 million to his campaign at a Los Angeles fund-raiser.”
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