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
There are religiously motivated ones targeting both Christians and Muslims, clashes between farmers and herders over dwindling resources, communal rivalries, secessionist groups and ethnic clashes.
—
Fortune, 26 Dec. 2025
The peace agreed to at Dayton left Bosnia, or Bosnia and Herzegovina as it is known in full, intact as a country but divided into two entities, Republika Srpska – a secessionist entity proclaimed by ethnonationalist Serbs in January 1992 – and the Bosnian Federation.
—Adis Maksić, The Conversation, 19 Nov. 2025
But the Declaration was also a secessionist document, establishing revolution as a right.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
This scuttles a compromise, whereby paintings of Lee in his prewar blue Army uniform could remain while the portrait of Lee the secessionist and enslaver came down.
—Time, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for secessionist
Fortune, 26 Dec. 2025
The peace agreed to at Dayton left Bosnia, or Bosnia and Herzegovina as it is known in full, intact as a country but divided into two entities, Republika Srpska – a secessionist entity proclaimed by ethnonationalist Serbs in January 1992 – and the Bosnian Federation.
—Adis Maksić, The Conversation, 19 Nov. 2025
But the Declaration was also a secessionist document, establishing revolution as a right.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
This scuttles a compromise, whereby paintings of Lee in his prewar blue Army uniform could remain while the portrait of Lee the secessionist and enslaver came down.
—Time, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for secessionist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for secessionist
Noun
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Following the events of A Palace Near the Wind, Liu Lufeng and her siblings flee the Palace for the dangerous waters, which contain rebels, allies, and her sister Sangshu—though Sangshu’s conflicting loyalties may clash with Lufeng’s plan to keep them all safe.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
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An Iranian missile struck a fuel-oil tanker in Qatari waters Wednesday morning, while Houthi rebels launched a third barrage of missiles toward Israel.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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When a coalition of figures assembled at a Georgetown University forum, in February, 2023, the former Crown Prince sat humbly in a row of eight, alongside two actresses, a soccer player, and an Iranian Kurdish separatist.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
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The party is an Iranian-Kurdish nationalist separatist group known by the local abbreviation PAK.—
Samya Kullab,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The act as insurgent against privilege, set to die in the rot of reason.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
31 Mar. 2026
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Mills’s primary opponent, oyster farmer and progressive insurgent Graham Platner, echoed other outsiders last year in calling for Schumer to lose his leadership post over his government shutdown dealings with Republicans.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Yet Ali’s act does not only evoke terrorist incidents such as the Charlie Hebdo attack, perpetrated by Muslim extremists, just a few months prior to The Red Chador.—
H.M.A. Leow,
JSTOR Daily,
31 Mar. 2026
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The Italian metal extremist has been going down a rabbit hole of his own with a series of highly technical I, Voidhanger releases marked by extraterrestrial synth work and winding, stop-on-a-dime riffs.—
Sam Goldner,
Pitchfork,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Secessionist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secessionist. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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