as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control
today's rebel chefs feel free to ignore the dictates of classic French cuisine
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in insurgent
a person who rises up against authority
the rebel would not submit peacefully, even after he was captured
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to revolt
to rise up against established authority
the colonists rebelled in the wake of an onslaught of abuses
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rebel
ABC News, 3 Mar. 2026
The Rebel Loon Project, which uses a a version of the rebel loon logo shared online as available for free use, has heard from supporters of other MLS teams.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 27 Feb. 2026
Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
More recently, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have targeted Saudi desalination facilities amid regional tensions.
—Annika Hammerschlag, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2026
Arkansas Online, 10 Feb. 2026
The neighborhood, including Northwest Bronx, rebelled, pointing out that mall jobs paid little, small businesses would be crushed, and profits would be siphoned away to national corporations.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rebel
Adjective
Colombia’s government has struggled to contain drug traffickers and rebel groups that are now fighting over territory abandoned by the nation’s largest guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, following its 2016 peace deal with the government.
—ABC News, 3 Mar. 2026
The Rebel Loon Project, which uses a a version of the rebel loon logo shared online as available for free use, has heard from supporters of other MLS teams.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 27 Feb. 2026
Noun
Yet plantation records indicate that women helped supply food and clothing to rebels.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
More recently, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have targeted Saudi desalination facilities amid regional tensions.
—Annika Hammerschlag, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2026
Verb
In the meantime, an unstable government could become more rather than less aggressive, not least to keep younger hard-liners from rebelling.
—Arkansas Online, 10 Feb. 2026
The neighborhood, including Northwest Bronx, rebelled, pointing out that mall jobs paid little, small businesses would be crushed, and profits would be siphoned away to national corporations.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rebel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebel
Adjective
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For Jean, Judge’s visit to Annecy is a momentous occasion that reflects the Festival’s determination to highlight the dynamism, social relevance and rebellious audacity of American adult animation series.—
Kevin Giraud,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
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Like most of us, FIG shed its more rebellious tendencies over time.—
Robert F. Moss,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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That kind of chaos could easily spill over Iran’s borders, and not just by land; the Persian Gulf is narrow, and would not pose much of an obstacle to terrorists or insurgents who cross it in speedboats.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Mar. 2026
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Paxton will counter that Texas runoffs often reward insurgents.—
Gromer Jeffers Jr,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The plan ran aground when athletes were apparently awarded identical medals in the same event—the Special Olympics is not, strictly speaking, about winners and losers—and bettors revolted after their payouts were delayed.—
McKay Coppins,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2026
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What Kessler’s work suggests is supply and demand may work in theory, but in practice, consumers often revolt at life conducted on purely economic terms that feel unfair.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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In northern Israel daily rockets are keeping people on edge but also defiant.—
Greg Dixon,
NPR,
11 Mar. 2026
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Iran’s leaders have remained defiant after days of heavy strikes targeting the country’s leadership, military, ballistic missiles and disputed nuclear program.—
Samy Magdy,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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On the left, Anderson trots out stock characters — the oversexed Black woman revolutionary, Leo’s cuckolded white stoner, doctrinaire newcomers — from a Bob Hope skit about hippies.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Mar. 2026
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The 25-year-old Indianapolis native plays Willa, the daughter of former revolutionaries DiCaprio and Taylor, who goes on the lam when unsavory characters from her parents’ past attempt to track her down.—
Heather Bushman,
IndyStar,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Treated by many Americans as a traitor who had mutinied, Mr. Thompson was threatened with prosecution by lawmakers before being recognized decades later as a hero.—
Anna Mulrine Grobe,
Christian Science Monitor,
6 Dec. 2025
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The 16th-century adventurer, who first circumnavigated the globe by sea in 1522, wavers beneath the pressure of his pursuit, ultimately leading his men to mutiny and madness on the Malay Archipelago.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
18 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rebel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebel. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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