recreant 1 of 2

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recreant

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noun

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as in coward
a person who shows a shameful lack of courage in the face of danger the historian reserved his greatest contempt for those recreants who opposed the witch hunt but lacked the courage to speak out against it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for recreant
Adjective
  • The premise is that America is caught in a bind between a political left that’s too afraid of growth and a political right that hates government investment and involvement.
    Scott Peters, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 July 2025
  • The revelation helps explain why the giant snakes — which can grow to 18 feet in Florida — are not afraid to swallow creatures that are nearly equal in size, experts say.
    Mark Price July 11, Miami Herald, 11 July 2025
Adjective
  • Michael Fassbender plays a British intelligence officer tasked with finding who leaked a top-secret software program and betrayed their country, and the list of five potentially traitorous suspects includes his own high-profile wife (Cate Blanchett).
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 May 2025
  • Smith made out their former collaborators to be ungrateful and traitorous, and the kids weren't given the space to question her command.
    Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • But the group also used it as a tool of execution against deserters, inadvertently showcasing the brittleness of a regime that had to use fear to motivate even its mercenary soldiers to stay in the fight.
    Nicolas Niarchos, New York Times, 13 May 2025
  • Meanwhile, Byrd’s wide dramatic palette and flexible voice make the most of thankless roles as the movement’s deserter and Montgomery’s white power brokers.
    Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 7 June 2025
Noun
  • Today’s Republican Party is a bunch of weak, spineless cowards who cower in obedient terror at Trump’s feet.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 12 July 2025
  • Now, all of these cowards that were too scared to give us a chance [want to work with us] because there’s no risk involved anymore.
    Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 2 July 2025
Noun
  • His brother Jun-ho is still searching for the island and is unaware there’s a traitor in his group.
    Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
  • Young-il’s brother is still searching for the island — but a traitor on the boat is preventing the detective from reaching the game site.
    Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
Adjective
  • Many people may be intrinsically frightened of robots.
    Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
  • More than 25,000 onlookers came to see the whale over the next few days, but when a thunderstorm erupted on July 5, the whale became frightened.
    Kaycee Sloan, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Adjective
  • He’s hosted several world leaders for explosive Oval Office sit downs, including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who Trump argued with over false claims that white farmers in the country were victims of a genocide, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February.
    Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
  • Mayumi pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of false reporting to authorities, while Richard did the same for a felony count of trying to influence a public servant, according to NPR.
    Jessica Sager, People.com, 15 July 2025
Noun
  • And, of course, my fantasy went right to some kind of renegade character along the lines of Saw Gerrera.
    Dalton Ross, EW.com, 16 May 2025
  • The director Doris Wishman was a renegade: a woman who made lurid exploitation films at a time when American underground cinema was a man’s playground.
    Erik Piepenburg, New York Times, 2 June 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Recreant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recreant. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.

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