DESERTER Synonyms: 43 Similar and Opposite Words

deserter

noun

di-ˈzər-tər

Definition of deserter

as in traitor

a person who abandons a cause or organization usually without right we had orders to find and capture the deserters before they could reveal our location

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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 deserter This notably happened during the Civil War with enlistment bounties to track down deserters. — Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Dec. 2025 Harry Truman granted amnesty to certain World War II deserters, while Jimmy Carter granted pardons to hundreds of thousands of individuals who dodged the draft during the Vietnam War. — Stewart Ulrich, The Conversation, 15 Dec. 2025 After a British deserter mistakenly gains immortality during the American Revolution, he is forced to face his cowardly past and fight against a sinister plot to destroy America. — Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2025 More important, though, is the fact that the judge who posited that hordes of deserters could follow Vovchenko’s example seems to be overstepping his role. — Air Mail, 25 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for deserter

Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserter

Noun

Rinna, a fellow traitor and the person who helped Rausch secure the bag, had similarly been crossed by him, twice.

— The Deadline Team, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2026
His tenure was upended by the arrest of Aldrich Ames, a CIA traitor.

— Bob Drogin, Washington Post, 22 July 2026

Definition of traitor

Noun

The deal came as Washington increased pressure on neighboring Rwanda over its support for M23 rebels, a dynamic analysts say may help explain Congo’s willingness to cooperate.

— Mark Banchereau, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
The fun way to approach this premise would be to focus on the rebels.

— Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of rebel

Noun

In Russell, the director found a star who could match his renegade energy.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Aug. 2026
But instead of employing a ball gown, glass slippers, and a grand carriage made from a pumpkin, the renegade maid comes to her damsel in distress armed with a different kind of escape plan—one involving an axe and a double parricide.

— Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of renegade

Noun

Anthropic, founded by OpenAI defectors, is now expected to be the first of the two companies to go public, two people familiar with its plans say, with the IPO as early as September.

— Alex Heath, Time, 26 Aug. 2026
The documentary tracks students at the Jangdaehyun School in Busan, South Korea – an institution serving North Korean defectors and their families.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of defector

Browse Nearby Words

deserted

deserter

deserters

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Style

“Deserter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserter. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of deserter

noun

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