| Library / English Dictionary |
DEFECTION
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Withdrawing support or help despite allegiance or responsibility
Example:
his abandonment of his wife and children left them penniless
Synonyms:
abandonment; defection; desertion
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("defection" is a kind of...):
withdrawal (the act of withdrawing)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "defection"):
abscondment; decampment (the act of running away secretly (as to avoid arrest))
absence without leave; unauthorized absence (unauthorized military absence)
deviationism (ideological defection from the party line (especially from orthodox communism))
Derivation:
defect (desert (a cause, a country or an army), often in order to join the opposing cause, country, or army)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The state of having rejected your religious beliefs or your political party or a cause (often in favor of opposing beliefs or causes)
Synonyms:
apostasy; defection; renunciation
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("defection" is a kind of...):
rejection (the state of being rejected)
Derivation:
defect (desert (a cause, a country or an army), often in order to join the opposing cause, country, or army)
