Defection

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Defection \De*fec"tion\, n. [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.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           The general defection of the whole realm. --Sir J.
                                                    Davies.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  defection
       n 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