I. ˈrenə̇ˌgād, -nēˌ- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Spanish renegado, from Medieval Latin renegatus, from past participle of renegare to deny, from Latin re- + negare to deny — more at negation
1. : a person who leaves one religious faith for another : a religious apostate
2. : a deserter from one cause, principle, party, or allegiance to another often hostile one : turncoat , traitor
venom the renegade can summon up against his former beliefs and associates — New Yorker
3. : an individual who rejects the restraints of law or convention
II. intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to become a renegade
III. adjective
: that is a renegade ; specifically : having deserted a cause, principle, or allegiance for a hostile one : traitorous , apostate
better to be … an honest animal than a renegade human being — Eleanor Dark