apostate
/əˈpɔs.teɪt/adjective, noun
apostate is spelled A-P-O-S-T-A-T-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,187th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, apostate means “Guilty of apostasy” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in apostate?
| Letters | 8: A-P-O-S-T-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 43,187th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is apostate?
Apostate appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,187th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce apostate?
- UK /əˈpɒs.teɪt/
- UK /əˈpɒs.tət/
- US /əˈpɔs.teɪt/
Apostate has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-apostate.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-apostate2.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-apostate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of apostate
- apostates plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does apostate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Guilty of apostasy.
We must punish this apostate priest.
noun
- 1
A person who has renounced a religion or faith.
- 2
One who, after having received sacred orders, renounces his clerical profession.
- 3
One who has renounced a political party, a cause, etc.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Apostate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | abtrünnig, apostatisch , Abtrünniger, Abtrünnige, Glaubensabtrünniger, Glaubensabtrünnige |
| French | apostat, apostate |
| Portuguese | apóstata |
| Spanish | apóstata |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does apostate come from?
From Late Latin apostata, from Ancient Greek ἀποστάτης (apostátēs, “rebel”), from ἀφίστημι (aphístēmi, “to withdraw, revolt”), from ἀπό (apó, “from”) + ἵστημι (hístēmi, “to stand”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).