rebellious

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adjective re·bel·lious \-yÉ™s\

: fighting against a government

: refusing to obey rules or authority or to accept normal standards of behavior, dress, etc. : having or showing a tendency to rebel

Full Definition of REBELLIOUS

1

a :  given to or engaged in rebellion <rebellious troops>

b :  of, relating to, or characteristic of a rebel or rebellion <a rebellious speech>

2

:  resisting treatment or management :  refractory

— re·bel·lious·ly adverb

— re·bel·lious·ness noun

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Examples of REBELLIOUS

1. <the rebellious troops fought a pitched battle with divisions still loyal to the government>
2. <expected her son to grow a little more rebellious as he got older, but she knew he understood when to kick and when to obey>

First Known Use of REBELLIOUS

15th century

Related to REBELLIOUS

Synonyms

insurgent, insurrectionary, mutinous, revolutionary

Antonyms

amenable, biddable, compliant, conformable, docile, obedient, ruly, submissive, tractable

Related Words

seditious, traitorous, treacherous, treasonous; agitating, demagogic, rabble-rousing; defiant, disobedient, insubordinate, intractable, recalcitrant, refractory, restive, ungovernable, unruly

Near Antonyms

constant, devoted, loyal, staunch (also stanch), steadfast, true, true-blue; compliant, obedient, submissive, tractable

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism