What does apostatizing mean?
Apostatizing refers to the act of abandoning or renouncing a religious faith, or by extension a political allegiance or deeply held principle to which one was once committed. It is the progressive form of the verb 'apostatize', whose root traces back through Greek 'apostasis', meaning defection or rebellion. The word carries a strong connotation of betrayal: from the standpoint of the abandoned community, an apostate is not merely a convert away but a deserter, and historically the term has been bound up with severe consequences, including excommunication and persecution. Today it appears chiefly in formal, religious, historical, or political writing. One might speak of a monk apostatizing after leaving his order, or a politician apostatizing from the ideals of an earlier career. Because English offers more common alternatives such as 'renouncing', 'defecting', or 'recanting', 'apostatizing' lends a passage a precise, weighty tone suited to serious discussion of faith and conviction.
verb (present participle and gerund of 'apostatize')The act of abandoning or renouncing a religious faith, political allegiance, or formerly held belief or loyalty; present participle and gerund of 'apostatize'.
- To abandon or renounce one's religious faith or beliefs.
- (Extended use) To desert or repudiate a political party, cause, or principle one previously supported.
"After years of quiet doubt, he finally left the monastery, openly apostatizing in a letter that scandalized his former community."
"She was excommunicated after apostatizing and publicly declaring her new faith."
"Critics accused the senator of apostatizing from the principles he had campaigned on only a decade earlier."
In medieval Europe, apostatizing wasn't just a personal decision — under the Inquisition it could cost you your life.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of apostatizing
Apostatizing derives from the verb 'apostatize', formed from Greek 'apostasis' meaning 'defection' or 'standing off', from 'aphistasthai', 'to stand away from'. The Greek root passed into Latin as 'apostasia' before entering English in the early modern period, when it became firmly associated with abandonment of religious faith. Cognates sharing this lineage include 'apostate', 'apostasy', and, more distantly, 'apostle', which comes from a related Greek root meaning 'one who is sent off'.
Related word forms
How apostatizing is actually used
Formal and somewhat elevated in register; most common in religious, historical, or theological contexts, though it appears in political writing when a figure is seen as betraying a former allegiance. The word often carries a connotative charge of betrayal or disloyalty, especially from the perspective of the community being abandoned.
Easily confused with apostatizing
'Apostasy' is the noun naming the act or condition of abandonment, while 'apostatizing' is the verbal form describing the ongoing action of committing it.
An 'apostate' is the person who abandons a faith or loyalty, whereas 'apostatizing' describes what that person is doing.