Definition of RENEGADE (original) (raw)

1

: a deserter from one faith, cause, or allegiance to another

2

: an individual who rejects lawful or conventional behavior

1

: having deserted a faith, cause, or religion for a hostile one

Synonyms

Examples of renegade in a Sentence

Noun

The group was full of free spirits and renegades who challenged every assumption of what art should be. She regaled him with stories about pirates and renegades on the high seas.

Recent Examples on the Web

The guy is an alcoholic Muslim named Ash (a sad and squirrely Riz Ahmed, fantastic throughout), who became a renegade deal broker after drinking away a more conventional life. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2024 And the video, about a deliciously messy renegade desert party (starring The Chains behind the deck and Petras as the mini-skirted star of the dancefloor), is just eye-candy fun. —Billboard Staff, Billboard, 6 Sep. 2024

Do Not Disturb follows Karegeya’s life from African herd boy to BMW-driving government spy to renegade refugee who fell prey to the boredom, loneliness, and conspiracies of exile. —Claude Gatebuke, The New York Review of Books, 10 June 2021

The speech came just six months after a white mob had laid waste to Greenwood, violently rebuking calls for social equality, political rights and the end of renegade lynch law. —Victor Luckerson, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Sep. 2024 If China can persuade much of the rest of the world that the United States is the more renegade and disruptive power, perhaps Xi can buy China enough time to complete its rocky transition to a knowledge economy. —Christopher K. Johnson, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2019 See all Example Sentences for renegade

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'renegade.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Spanish renegado, from Medieval Latin renegatus, from past participle of renegare to deny, from Latin re- + negare to deny — more at negate

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1611, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1636, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of renegade was circa 1611

Dictionary Entries Near renegade

Cite this Entry

“Renegade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/renegade. Accessed 19 Sep. 2024.

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Last Updated: 18 Sep 2024 - Updated example sentences

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