She harbored the deserter.
Source: tatoeba (315724)
Deserter
/ˈdəzɚtɚ/
Synonyms for "deserter" (65 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (13)
Strong matches (20)
Related words (32)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: defector, renegade, absconder, absentee, apostasy.
- Sentence evidence is available for deserter, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "deserter".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "deserter"
Keep "deserter" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "deserter" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "deserter", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "deserter" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
Translations
87 translations across 56 languages.
Albanian
1 entries- dezertor noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Ancient Greek
2 entries- αὐτόμολος noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- ἀποστάτης noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Arabic
1 entries- هَارِب noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Aramaic
1 entries- ܕܝܼܣܸܪܛܘܿܪܵܐ noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Armenian
1 entries- դասալիք noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Azerbaijani
2 entries- dezertir noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- fərari noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Belarusian
2 entries- дэзерці́р noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- дэзэрты́р noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Bulgarian
1 entries- дезертьо́р noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Burmese
1 entries- တပ်ပြေး noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Catalan
1 entries- desertor noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 逃兵 noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Czech
3 entries- dezertér noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- dezertérka noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- zběh noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Danish
1 entries- desertør noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Dutch
1 entries- deserteur noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Estonian
1 entries- desertöör noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Finnish
4 entries- desertööri noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- karkuri noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- rintamakarkuri noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- sotilaskarkuri noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
French
2 entries- déserteur noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- déserteuse noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Georgian
1 entries- დეზერტირი noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
German
2 entries- Deserteur noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- Fahnenflüchtiger noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Greek
1 entries- λιποτάκτης noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Hebrew
1 entries- עָרִיק noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Hindi
3 entries- पलायक noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- भग्गू noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- भागू noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Hungarian
2 entries- dezertőr noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- szökevény noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Indonesian
1 entries- desertir noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Italian
2 entries- disertore noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- disertrice noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Japanese
1 entries- 脱走兵 noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Kazakh
2 entries- дезертир noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- қашқын noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Khmer
3 entries- ទាហានរត់ noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- ទាហានរមត់ noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- អ្នករមត់ noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Korean
4 entries- 변절자 noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- 탈영병 noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- 탈영자 noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- 탈주병 noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Kyrgyz
2 entries- дезертир noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- качкын noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Latin
1 entries- dēsertor noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Latvian
1 entries- dezertieris noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Lithuanian
1 entries- dezertyras noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Macedonian
1 entries- дезерте́р noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Malay
1 entries- pembolos noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Northern Kurdish
1 entries- revok noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- desertør noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- desertør noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Ottoman Turkish
1 entries- قاچاق noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Pashto
2 entries- پراري noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- ښکری noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Persian
1 entries- فراری noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Polish
2 entries- dezerter noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- dezerterka noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Portuguese
1 entries- desertor noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Romanian
1 entries- dezertor noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Russian
1 entries- дезерти́р noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- dezèrtēr noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- дезѐрте̄р noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Slovak
3 entries- dezertér noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- dezertérka noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- zbeh noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Slovene
1 entries- dezerter noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Spanish
2 entries- desertor noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- golondrino noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Swedish
1 entries- desertör noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Tajik
2 entries- гуреза noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- фирорӣ noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Thai
1 entries- ผู้ละทิ้ง noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Turkish
2 entries- asker kaçağı noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- firari noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Ukrainian
1 entries- дезерти́р noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Uzbek
2 entries- dezertir noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
- qochoq noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Vietnamese
1 entries- kẻ đào ngũ noun (person who leaves a military or naval unit)
Sample sentences
6 total sentences available.
Your father is a deserter and a traitor.
Source: tatoeba (8683357)
The police are pursuing the deserter.
Source: tatoeba (10557339)
She harboured the deserter.
Source: tatoeba (11642536)
Showing 4 of 6 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "deserter"?
Closest matches include defector, renegade, absconder, absentee, apostasy.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "deserter"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.