as in rebel
a person who thinks that a nation, state, etc., should separate from another and become independent
A growing group of secessionists are pushing for the independence of the region.
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Recent Examples of secessionist
Monuments to old secessionists and segregationists had fallen across the country.
—
Charles King, Foreign Affairs, 18 June 2021
Separately, secessionist movements in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states might return in earnest while the central government is at war with itself.
—Mai Hassan, Foreign Affairs, 1 May 2023
And if a militarized, semiautonomous, U.S.-backed Kurdish region across the border in Syria continues to harbor fighters and fuel secessionist aspirations, the threat of a PKK resurgence would remain.
—Halil Karaveli, Foreign Affairs, 3 Feb. 2025
Sherman, who had taken Atlanta in September, intended to defeat the Confederacy by inflicting on its heartland the terrible consequences of a war the Southern secessionists had begun.
—Brenda Wineapple, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for secessionist
Charles King, Foreign Affairs, 18 June 2021
Separately, secessionist movements in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states might return in earnest while the central government is at war with itself.
—Mai Hassan, Foreign Affairs, 1 May 2023
And if a militarized, semiautonomous, U.S.-backed Kurdish region across the border in Syria continues to harbor fighters and fuel secessionist aspirations, the threat of a PKK resurgence would remain.
—Halil Karaveli, Foreign Affairs, 3 Feb. 2025
Sherman, who had taken Atlanta in September, intended to defeat the Confederacy by inflicting on its heartland the terrible consequences of a war the Southern secessionists had begun.
—Brenda Wineapple, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for secessionist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for secessionist
Noun
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In confrontations with both India and Iran, Pakistan has consistently denied offering safe haven to transnational rebels at a time when the country was struggling to stem a deadly wave of attacks by insurgents against its own soldiers and civilians.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025
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Many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels’ goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.—
Aijaz Hussain,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Yet, in declining to comment on the future of Crimea, a region of Ukraine that Russian separatists seized in 2014 prior to the start of the current war, Rutte noted that the Soviet Union had annexed three Baltic states during World War II until its collapse in 1991.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2025
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The long-simmering conflict in Kashmir, India, blew up on Tuesday, when Islamic Kashmir separatists killed 26 tourists and injured over a dozen others.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Meanwhile, the insurgents attacking the American soldiers are truly faceless.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
11 Apr. 2025
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The mission began in fairly standard form: The SEALs infiltrated a bleak and dusty corner of Ramadi that happened to overlook a marketplace and, unbeknownst to them, also sat across from the lair of the Iraqi insurgents.—
Fred Schruers,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Secessionist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secessionist. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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