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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rebel
Denise Petski, Deadline, 1 July 2025
The toxic combination led rebel Republican Sen. Thom Tillis to denounce it as a political disaster.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 30 June 2025
Sam Dalrymple, Time, 14 July 2025
The defense chief survived a March scandal over his disclosure of sensitive military operational details of a strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen on an unsecure chat group on the Signal messaging app that included a reporter.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 9 July 2025
Timothy Welbeck, The Conversation, 16 June 2025
The passage of the 13th Amendment roughly six months later was the final legislation ensuring the freedom of all enslaved African Americans in the nation: both those in rebelling Confederate states and those belonging to the Union.
—Mackenzie Thomas, The Washington Examiner, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for rebel
Adjective
As Rob rises as the leader of a band of rebel outlaws, Marian infiltrates the power at court, as both work together to thwart royal corruption and bring peace to the land.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 1 July 2025
The toxic combination led rebel Republican Sen. Thom Tillis to denounce it as a political disaster.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 30 June 2025
Noun
Advertisement Six years later, in 1971, Indian support for Bengali rebels in East Pakistan and its military intervention led to the creation of Eastern Pakistan as the independent nation of Bangladesh.
—Sam Dalrymple, Time, 14 July 2025
The defense chief survived a March scandal over his disclosure of sensitive military operational details of a strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen on an unsecure chat group on the Signal messaging app that included a reporter.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 9 July 2025
Verb
Though President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the enslaved in all the states that had seceded from the U.S., nearly 2½ years earlier, Texas, a Confederate state, rebelled against it.
—Timothy Welbeck, The Conversation, 16 June 2025
The passage of the 13th Amendment roughly six months later was the final legislation ensuring the freedom of all enslaved African Americans in the nation: both those in rebelling Confederate states and those belonging to the Union.
—Mackenzie Thomas, The Washington Examiner, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for rebel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebel
Adjective
-
The chancellor is caught between febrile bond markets worried about government debt levels across advanced economies and rebellious Labour lawmakers who recently forced the government to pull back on reforms to welfare spending.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
22 July 2025
-
Once Audrey Hepburn was seen in a pair of the prototypical capri pants, everyone wanted to own them, and de Lennart’s hero product was later donned by the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor: appreciated for its originally rebellious intentions and modern-woman appeal.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
21 July 2025
Noun
-
Prod: María Isabel Páramo, Iván García) One of the biggest swings among BAM projects, set in 1996 Colombia, as the country succumbs to bloody insurgent warfare.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
15 July 2025
-
Delegates followed that recommendation, rejecting a number of insurgent candidates.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
11 July 2025
Verb
-
The reasons were partly ideological—the tech business retained some of its roots in the seventies counterculture, which was revolted by the Vietnam War.—
Dexter Filkins,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
-
The Senate overwhelmingly revolted against a proposal meant to deter states from regulating artificial intelligence.—
Kevin Freking,
Twin Cities,
5 July 2025
Adjective
-
On Monday, asked about the poll proposal at an unrelated event, Adams was defiant.—
Oren Oppenheim,
ABC News,
14 July 2025
-
Trump's defiant response in Butler, Penn., may have fueled his big Election Day gains among male voters.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
Actors Juan Quispe and Edith Ramos topline a story that intertwines two periods, that following the 18th century revolutionary Ángel Pumacahua, defeated in battle, who flees to his village and, upon his arrival, finds himself in the Peruvian Andes of the 21st century.—
Emiliano De Pablos,
Variety,
4 July 2025
-
Curtis Everett in Snowpiercer (2014) Released just two years after the first Avengers, Bong Joon Ho's apocalyptic thriller Snowpiercer allowed Evans to show off his grittier side, playing a reluctant revolutionary named Curtis.—
Devan Coggan,
EW.com,
13 June 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share