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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Defection \De*fec"tion\, noun [L. defectio: cf. F. d['e]fection. See {Defect}.] Act of abandoning a person or cause to which one is bound by allegiance or duty, or to which one has attached himself; desertion; failure in duty; a falling away; apostasy; backsliding. ''Defection and falling away from God.'' --Sir W. Raleigh.
The general defection of the whole realm. --Sir J. Davies.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
defection
noun
1: withdrawing support or help despite allegiance or responsibility; "his abandonment of his wife and children left them penniless" [syn: {desertion}, {abandonment}]
2: the state of having rejected your religious beliefs or your political party or a cause (often in favor of opposing beliefs or causes) [syn: {apostasy}, {renunciation}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
138 Moby Thesaurus words for "defection": abandonment, about-face, accommodation, adaptation, adjustment, alienation, alteration, amelioration, apostasy, backsliding, bad debt, betrayal, betterment, blemish, bolt, break, breakaway, bug, catch, change, change of heart, changeableness, constructive change, continuity, conversion, crack, crossing-over, default, defect, deficiency, degeneration, degenerative change, delinquence, delinquency, dereliction, deserter, desertion, deterioration, deviation, difference, disaffection, discontinuity, dishonor, dishonoring, disloyalty, disownment, divergence, diversification, diversion, diversity, divorce, drawback, estrangement, failing, failure, faithlessness, falseness, fault, faute, fitting, flaw, flip-flop, foible, forsaking, frailty, going over, gradual change, hole, imperfection, improvement, inadequacy, infirmity, kink, little problem, melioration, mitigation, modification, modulation, nondischarge of debts, nonpayment, nonremittal, overthrow, parting, problem, protest, protested bill, qualification, radical change, ratting, re-creation, realignment, recidivation, recidivism, recreancy, redesign, reform, reformation, rejection, remaking, renewal, renunciation, repudiation, reshaping, restructuring, reversal, revival, revivification, revolution, rift, runout, schism, secession, separation, shift, shortcoming, snag, something missing, sudden change, switch, taint, tergiversation, total change, transition, treason, turn, turnabout, turning traitor, uncollectible, upheaval, variation, variety, violent change, vulnerable place, walkout, weak link, weak point, weakness, worsening
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Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |