insurgency

noun

in·​sur·​gen·​cy in-ˈsər-jən(t)-sē 

plural insurgencies

1

: insurgence

2

: the quality or state of being insurgent

specifically : a condition of revolt against a government that is less than an organized revolution and that is not recognized as belligerency

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Insurgencies fall into the category of "irregular warfare", since an insurgency normally lacks the organization of a revolution, even though it has the same aims. Revolutions often begin within a country's armed forces, whereas insurgencies often arise in remote areas, where they gain strength slowly by winning the confidence of rural populations. An insurgency may be based on ethnic or religious identity, or its roots may be basically political or economic. Since insurgencies are rarely strong enough to face a national army head-on, insurgents (often called guerrillas) tend to use such tactics as bombing, kidnapping, hostage taking, and hijacking.

Synonyms

• insurgence
• insurrection
• mutiny
• outbreak
• rebellion
• revolt
• revolution
• rising
• uprising

Examples of insurgency in a Sentence

there always seems to be insurgency of some type in that troubled country

Recent Examples on the Web

Its military and intelligence services were staffed by many who participated in the Jewish insurgency against the entity known as Mandatory Palestine, the British-run territory designated by the League of Nations in the aftermath of World War II. —David Brennan, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2024

And in 1992, his forces arrested the leader of Shining Path, helping halt that insurgency. —Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 12 Sep. 2024

Violence has spiraled in West Africa’s central Sahel region since the insurgencies took root in Mali and spread into neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, killing thousands of people and displacing millions more. —Reuters, CNN, 3 July 2024

But the insurgency in the occupied West Bank has remained broadly the same since the second intifada, or uprising, in the early 2000s — a period that claimed thousands of lives. —Matt Bradley, NBC News, 28 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1803, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

insurgency

noun

in·​sur·​gen·​cy in-ˈsər-jən-sē 

plural insurgencies

: rebellion sense 2

Legal Definition

insurgency

noun

in·​sur·​gen·​cy in-ˈsər-jən-sē 

plural insurgencies

: the quality or state of being insurgent

specifically : a condition of revolt against a recognized government that does not reach the proportions of an organized revolutionary government and is not recognized as belligerency