revolt 1 of 2

as in insurrection
open fighting against authority (as one's own government) soon the revolt had spread to every corner of the country

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

revolt

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun revolt differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of revolt are insurrection, mutiny, rebellion, revolution, and uprising. While all these words mean "an outbreak against authority," revolt and insurrection imply an armed uprising that quickly fails or succeeds.

a revolt by the Young Turks that surprised party leaders
an insurrection of oppressed laborers

When is it sensible to use mutiny instead of revolt?

The meanings of mutiny and revolt largely overlap; however, mutiny applies to group insubordination or insurrection especially against naval authority.

a mutiny led by the ship's cook

When could rebellion be used to replace revolt?

While in some cases nearly identical to revolt, rebellion implies an open formidable resistance that is often unsuccessful.

open rebellion against the officers

When can revolution be used instead of revolt?

Although the words revolution and revolt have much in common, revolution applies to a successful rebellion resulting in a major change (as in government).

a political revolution that toppled the monarchy

When might uprising be a better fit than revolt?

The synonyms uprising and revolt are sometimes interchangeable, but uprising implies a brief, limited, and often immediately ineffective rebellion.

quickly put down the uprising

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 revolt
Noun
That led to a developer revolt, a subreddit blackout, and the shutdown of some popular Reddit clients. Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 2 Apr. 2025 The revolt against Tesla is not slowing down, and in some cases people are outright getting rid of their cars. Saahil Desai, The Atlantic, 29 Mar. 2025
Verb
Americans did not revolt against the nature of British government. Carla Gardina Pestana, The Conversation, 20 Mar. 2025 You can be revolted by a story yet remain careful not to advertise guilt. Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for revolt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for revolt
Noun
  • Yet the movement was deeply involved in a dramatic example of recent political violence: the January 6 insurrection, during which four people died and more than 100 police officers were injured.
    John Blake, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2025
  • One of his first acts as president was to pardon those responsible for the Jan. 6 insurrection.
    Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Vara, like many of her readers, is both enchanted by the web and disgusted with the companies that control it.
    Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2025
  • The judge, though disgusted at her antics, still stands firm in his decision to give the prosecution access to those records because the reports about the divorce are still accessible to the jury.
    Ayan Artan, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Democrats believe the rebelling conservatives will fold in the end.
    Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Broad stock indexes have now erased their post-electoral gains as investors rebel against the prospect of higher costs.
    Rob Wile, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Alaa Abd El-Fattah was a leading activist in the country’s 2011 uprising.
    Mounira Elsamra, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2025
  • Many of the demonstrators in this 1852 uprising in Guovdageaidnu (a city known to Norwegians as Kautokeino) were subsequently imprisoned, and some died behind bars.
    Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 1 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • As Saxon and Lochlan try to decipher what happened between them, we are asked to think about why we’re aroused (or repulsed) by it.
    Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2025
  • Even as the Russians massed forces and achieved a three-to-one advantage in troops in Kursk late last year, the Ukrainians held on—deploying mines, drones and artillery to repeatedly repulse Russian mechanized assaults.
    David Axe, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • It has been used to punish mutinies and desertion in armies, as frontier justice in America's Old West and as a tool of terror and political repression in the former Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.
    CBS News, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2025
  • An article on Sunday about a small mutiny at Chautauqua Institution misidentified the writer of a letter quoted from The Gadfly.
    New York Times, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • About 70 people have been sickened by bird flu, mainly poultry and dairy workers, CDC data shows.
    Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2025
  • So far there have been no children sickened in connection to the recall, the federal agency is reporting.
    Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • For years, Bitcoin stood as a symbol of rebellion—a decentralized answer to central banks, inflationary currencies, and overreaching governments.
    Max (Chong) Li, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
  • What may have seemed like a lighthearted act of rebellion struck a chord with many disillusioned job seekers, fed up with outdated hiring practices and a job market increasingly filtered through artificial intelligence.
    Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Revolt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/revolt. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on revolt

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!