as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control
the junior officer was court-martialed for being insubordinate
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as in rebel
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of insubordinate
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
No one’s arc is insubordinate; no one’s emotional logic is insignificant.
—
Literary Hub,
24 Feb. 2026
In a coastal town on the Gulf of Mexico lives the insubordinate Daniel, the owner of a small motel.
—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
17 Feb. 2026
If a Texas sheriff is insubordinate or doesn't comply with SB 8, the attorney general has the authority to file a court order and face potential legal penalties.
—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for insubordinate
Adjective
New research shows Hinton’s premonitions about the insubordinate streak of AI may already be a reality.
—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
No one’s arc is insubordinate; no one’s emotional logic is insignificant.
—
Literary Hub,
24 Feb. 2026
In a coastal town on the Gulf of Mexico lives the insubordinate Daniel, the owner of a small motel.
—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
17 Feb. 2026
If a Texas sheriff is insubordinate or doesn't comply with SB 8, the attorney general has the authority to file a court order and face potential legal penalties.
—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for insubordinate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insubordinate
Adjective
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For seven seasons, a hodgepodge crew mixing Starfleet and the rebellious Maquis put aside their differences after they got zapped 70,000 lightyears away from Earth, deep into the uncharted Delta Quadrant.
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This could bring about sudden ideas, or trigger rebellious impulses and creative imagination.
Noun
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Gillespie also has a reputation for melding music to movies, as seen in Cruella, his 2021 movie that cast Disney villainess Cruella de Vil as a punk rock rebel in London’s fashion scene.
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The winner is the daughter of the late Alberto Fujimori, the former president whose government in the 1990s defeated the Shining Path extremist rebel group but also took an authoritarian turn.
Adjective
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Femi was defiant as he was interviewed in the ring following his victory.
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Laurie Whitwell Were South Africa unlucky after defiant defensive display?
Noun
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Gray is endorsed by Kansas City’s branch of the Democratic Socialists of America, and represents the insurgent left flank of the Democratic Party in the race.
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Out went what was left of country-club Republicanism; in came the Fifth Avenue insurgent and his MAGA hordes.
Noun
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Her victory over leftist challenger Roberto Sánchez marks her fourth presidential bid and makes her Peru’s first female president-elect.
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Republican Mark Baisley didn't face a challenger for the GOP nomination and will face Hickelooper in the November general election.
Noun
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In November 1971, Berkeley, California, became the first sanctuary city in the country when 12 local churches inspired the City Council to pass a resolution offering sanctuary to draft resisters.
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Clemson resister Dabo Swinney has driven his program into the ground.
Noun
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Pitcairn is well-known as the island on which Fletcher Christian and other British mutineers from the HMS Bounty took refuge after the 1789 events that toppled Capt.
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Or an historian of Polynesian culture giving a lecture about tattooing, or the time Captain Bligh stopped on the atoll to look for the mutineer Fletcher Christian.
Noun
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Thomas Hobbes took a very dim view of rebels and insurrectionists.
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The recipients will almost surely be insurrectionists and other allies.
Cite this Entry
“Insubordinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insubordinate. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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