Renegade

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈɹɛ.nəˌɡeɪd/

Definitions

1. A person who deserts and betrays an organization, country, or set of principles
2. someone who abandons their former group or beliefs to join an opposing side or act independently
3. a deserter who betrays their original allegiance by switching loyalties or rejecting established doctrines

Etymology: Renegade began as a religious word for someone who had turned away from the faith. It came into English from Spanish "renegado," which in turn traces back to Medieval Latin "renegātus," the past participle of "renegō," meaning "to deny." The Latin verb was built from "re-," meaning "back" or "against," and "negō," "to say no," so the original sense is roughly "one who has said no in return." The word's close relative "renege" shares this same root and is a doublet from the same source, arriving in English through a different route. The sense of betraying a cause or community grew out of the older meaning of denying one's religion. Someone who abandoned Christianity, or who converted to Islam, could be called a renegade, and the idea of rejecting one's own side spread from there to politics and war. Today the word is applied to anyone who abandons a group, party, or allegiance, though its religious origin still shapes its heavy sense of betrayal.

Synonyms: traitor, defector, rebel, outlaw, dissenter

Antonyms: loyalist, follower, supporter, adherent