noun
- people who are cowardly or disloyal, especially those who abandon their duty or principles
Usage: archaic; formal
Examples
- The king branded the fleeing soldiers as recreants.
- History remembers those recreants who abandoned their posts during the siege.
- The captain had no patience for recreants in his regiment.
- Medieval literature often contrasts noble knights with cowardly recreants.
- The general dismissed the recreants from military service.
- In times of crisis, true character separates the brave from the recreants.