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
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rebel
Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Voting will be held in more than 300 constituencies nationwide — including some areas currently under rebel control.
—Michael Sullivan, NPR, 18 Aug. 2025
Alia Brahimi, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
North was part of the twin schemes to sell weapons to Iran and then use proceeds to fund anti-communist rebels, known as the Contras, in Nicaragua.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
Adam Solomons, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
An essay in The Dartmouth Review argues that the toga parties (based very much on truth) represented students from Miller's generation rebelling against conformity.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rebel
Adjective
The conflict pitted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Iran and Russia, against an array of rebel and jihadi groups, with Israel seeking to mitigate Iranian influence in the neighboring country.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Voting will be held in more than 300 constituencies nationwide — including some areas currently under rebel control.
—Michael Sullivan, NPR, 18 Aug. 2025
Noun
African states, too, have started hiring Russian, Turkish, Romanian, and South African private military companies (PMCs) to battle insurgencies, to deploy drones against jihadists, and to reclaim resource-rich areas taken over by rebels.
—Alia Brahimi, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
North was part of the twin schemes to sell weapons to Iran and then use proceeds to fund anti-communist rebels, known as the Contras, in Nicaragua.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
Qi is more interested in how Chuan’s motherhood is affected — and what happens when Hsiao-Lee is confident enough to rebel against her mom.
—Adam Solomons, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
An essay in The Dartmouth Review argues that the toga parties (based very much on truth) represented students from Miller's generation rebelling against conformity.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rebel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebel
Adjective
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The third book in the Luna Sisters series follows the journey to love for the youngest and most rebellious Luna sister, Gabriela.—
Mia Sosa,
PEOPLE,
15 Sep. 2025
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Meanwhile, Gemma’s niece Cady (McGraw) is now 14, a rebellious teenager living under Gemma’s overprotective rules.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This new generation of outlets has also begun to shape the political conversation on the left, helping boost insurgent challengers to the Democratic establishment.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Perfect for pondering what’s more human than human or planning insurgent actions against a cruel imperial apparatus.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In his 1920 play, Capek’s robots end up revolting against humanity.—
Bruce Dorminey,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Several professional medical societies, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, have revolted against the government, and last month published immunization guidelines that diverge from the current CDC’s.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The album’s emotional palette fluidly shifts between defiant bravado and glum recognition that the big dream was more than likely to crash and burn.—
Jesse Adams,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Sep. 2025
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This defiant guy decided to use a huge lumber pile as his roost for days.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Further east, the Russian revolutionaries of 1917 adopted a utopian faith in material progress and science.—
Sonja Fritzsche,
The Conversation,
9 Sep. 2025
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The movie follows DiCaprio as a former political revolutionary named Bob Ferguson who goes on the run when a military leader named Steven Lockjaw (Penn) renews his search for Ferguson and his family.—
Tommy McArdle,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In 1913, Swiss Guards mutinied for a week in response but eventually received military training as Repond wanted, Alvarez wrote in The Pope's Soldiers: A Military History of the Modern Vatican.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
7 May 2025
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In June 2023, the group mutinied and marched on Moscow before then leader Yevgeny Prigozhin negotiated a deal with the Kremlin.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
Newsweek,
13 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Rebel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebel. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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