DEFECTORS Synonyms: 43 Similar and Opposite Words

defectors

noun

plural of defector

as in deserters

a person who abandons a cause or organization usually without right the defector demanded political asylum in exchange for information about his nation's spying operations

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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 defectors South Korea, which in its constitution claims to be the legitimate government of the entire Korean Peninsula, has long accepted and financially supported North Korean defectors. — ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026 This hopeful documentary follows teenagers attending Jangdaehyun School in Busan, which helps the children of North Korean defectors to navigate life in South Korea. — Katherine Brodsky, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026 Its policy is to accept and support defectors from North Korea; more than 34,000 have arrived since the end of the Korean War. — Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 29 Sep. 2026 South Korean research has documented possible signs of radiation exposure in defectors from North Korea who lived near the test site, but scientists said the cause remains unclear. — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2026 But the new work found that if the rewards change with time (even by a small amount), then a second stable point emerges from the model, allowing both cooperators and defectors to coexist. — Chris Lee, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026 Sources include defectors, informants and individuals who remain embedded within movements while passing information to outsiders. — Arie Perliger, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026 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 But intelligence officials previously told The Associated Press that Russia's security services are now more brazen in their choice of targets, going after Russian activists and foreign supporters of Ukraine as well as military defectors. — CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defectors

Noun

And within his own country’s history, particularly, Dhont discovered the fates that met would-be deserters who were caught — brutal sentences often leading to death.

— David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
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

Definition of deserters

Noun

The traitors might have an easier time following the seduction of social media star King Kenny, who is considered a real traitor-hunter by the faithful.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026
Abby became suspicious of Kuehl during a private conversation about possible traitors in the group.

— Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of traitors

Noun

Ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz, however, still face attacks from Iran, while the Bab el-Mandeb Strait near Yemen has been threatened by the Houthi rebels.

— Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 23 Oct. 2026
The war next door United Nations experts have documented Rwandan military support for M23 rebels, which have seized territory in eastern DRC.

— Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of rebels

Noun

Gavroche and the insurgents of 1832—the wretched who became rioters—were ready to die defending a particular vision of the republic against the July Monarchy and the usurper Louis-Philippe.

— Ollivier Pourriol, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026
Ethiopia also accuses Eritrea of supporting insurgents and occupying Ethiopian territory, allegations the AP could not independently verify.

— KHALED KAZZIHA, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of insurgents

Noun

In some ways, there is a strange kind of unity to these three—all are set during the Depression, all feature stylish renegades.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026
There are Sixties rock bands like the Sonics and the Small Faces, and pioneering hippie renegades like Love or the Thirteenth Floor Elevators.

— Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2026

Definition of renegades

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“Defectors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defectors. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of defectors

noun

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