Synonyms of deserter

deserter

noun

di-ˈzər-tər 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• traitor
• rebel
• renegade
• defector
• insurgent
• apostate
• revolutionary
• turncoat
• recreant
• betrayer
• mutineer
• quisling
• traitress
• abandoner
• turnabout
• leaver
• double-crosser
• insurrectionist
• dropout
• revolutionist
• discontent
• defier
• insurrectionary
• red
• refuser
• recusant
• revolter
• refusenik
• malcontent
• revolutionizer
• come-outer

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• disciple
• follower
• supporter
• adherent
• loyalist
• partisan
• militant
• fanatic
• zealot

Example Sentences

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