renegade

1 of 3

noun

ren·​e·​gade ˈre-ni-ˌgād How to pronounce renegade (audio)
1
: a deserter from one faith, cause, or allegiance to another
2
: an individual who rejects lawful or conventional behavior

renegade

2 of 3

verb

renegaded; renegading

intransitive verb

: to become a renegade

renegade

3 of 3

adjective

1
: having deserted a faith, cause, or religion for a hostile one
2
: having rejected tradition : unconventional

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
Noun
Louisianan Mike Johnson became House speaker by accident, when eight renegade Republicans voted with the Democrats to eject the unfortunate Kevin McCarthy from the chair in October. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2024 Should one country defect and try to pursue, say, an independent exchange-rate policy or abandon independent central banking, markets would rapidly punish the renegade. Branko Milanovic, Foreign Affairs, 21 June 2022
Verb
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
Adjective
And Murphy was at the top of his game back in the renegade cop’s shoes, according to Reinhold. Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 30 June 2024 China makes a similar argument about Taiwan, claiming that the island is a renegade province. Tanisha M. Fazal, Foreign Affairs, 18 June 2024 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 15 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

renegade

1 of 2 noun
ren·​e·​gade ˈren-i-ˌgād How to pronounce renegade (audio)
1
: a person who deserts a faith, cause, or party
2
: a person who rejects lawful or acceptable behavior

renegade

2 of 2 adjective
1
: having deserted a faith, cause, or party
2
: having rejected tradition : unconventional

More from Merriam-Webster on renegade

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