recreant

[ rek-ree-uhnt ]

adjective

1. cowardly or craven.

   Synonyms: yellow, base, pusillanimous, dastardly

   Antonyms: brave

2. unfaithful, disloyal, or traitorous.

   Synonyms: apostate, untrue, faithless

   Antonyms: loyal

noun

1. a coward.

   Synonyms: dastard

   Antonyms: hero

2. an apostate, traitor, or renegade.

recreant

/ ˈrɛkrɪənt /

adjective

1. cowardly; faint-hearted
2. disloyal

noun

1. a disloyal or cowardly person

Derived Forms

• ˈrecreance, noun
• ˈrecreantly, adverb

Other Words From

• recre·ance recre·an·cy noun
• recre·ant·ly adverb
• un·recre·ant adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of recreant¹

1300–50; Middle English < Old French, adj. and noun use of present participle of recreire to yield in a contest, equivalent to re- re- + creire < Latin crēdere to believe

Word History and Origins

Origin of recreant¹

C14: from Old French, from recroire to surrender, from re- + Latin crēdere to believe; compare miscreant

Example Sentences

When little Vladimir finally relinquished her, with assurances that he was ‘desolated to leave so early’, she was ready to rest, and see how her recreant knight had borne his punishment.

From Literature

“As for the Queen, let her hide and be forgiven. But thou, false recreant knight, what cause had’st thou to slay my brother, that loved thee mom than all my kin?”

From Literature

Islam is the only religion which has no recreants—It is very difficult, if not impossible, to form an exact idea of the spiritual state of a Moslem evangelized by a Christian.

From Project Gutenberg

Even in that rare moment he was conscious of a regret that it was such a large hand, and his head jerked abruptly as he flung out the recreant thought.

From Project Gutenberg

Thus did Jacob not only triumph over the heathen gods, by carrying them off captive, but continued to adhere to Jehovah, his own God, who did not desert him in his recreant tricks.

From Project Gutenberg