revolt

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revolution and revolt

Revolution and revolt have a shared origin, both ultimately going back to the Latin revolvere “to revolve, roll back.” When revolution first appeared in English in the 14th century, it referred to the movement of a celestial body in orbit; that sense was extended to “a progressive motion of a body around an axis,” “completion of a course,” and other senses suggesting regularity of motion or a predictable return to an original position. At virtually the same time, the word developed a sharply different meaning, namely, ”a sudden radical, or complete change,” apparently from the idea of reversal of direction implicit in the Latin verb. Revolt , which initially meant “to renounce allegiance,” grew from the same idea of “rolling back,” in this case from a prior bond of loyalty.

Origin and Etymology of revolt

Middle French revolter, from Old Italian rivoltare to overthrow, from Vulgar Latin *revolvitare, frequentative of Latin revolvere to revolve, roll back

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First Known Use: 1539

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

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revolt Synonyms

Phrases

turn one's stomach;

revolt

noun

Definition of revolt

1 : a renouncing of allegiance (as to a government or party); especially : a determined armed uprising

2 : a movement or expression of vigorous dissent

See revolt defined for English-language learners

Examples of revolt in a Sentence

the revolt of the slaves
The peasants' revolt was crushed by the king.
The leader of the group called for revolt.
Consumers are in revolt against high prices.

Recent Examples of revolt from the Web

These police officers were charged with preventing slave revolts.

— mychal denzel smith, The New Republic, "How America became over-policed," 5 June 2018
After a court ruling found that Mr. Rajoy’s party had benefited from a slush fund, Mr. Sánchez orchestrated a parliamentary revolt, winning the backing of a majority of lawmakers to oust Mr. Rajoy through a vote of no confidence.

— New York Times, "Pedro Sánchez, Spain’s New Leader, Returns From the Political Wilderness," 3 June 2018
Trump's own revolt against the boundaries of his power has the country perpetually on the cusp of a constitutional crisis.

— stephen collinson, CNN, "America should be more at ease than this," 2 June 2018
These songs were often coded messages among slaves choreographing defiance, planned revolts or escape.

— phillip morris, cleveland.com, "Kanye West has a thing or two to learn about American slavery: Phillip Morris," 9 May 2018
Being unable to do so next season could lead to further fan revolt and apathy much like the 2017/18 campaign.

— SI.com, "FanView: Everton Supply Line Must Improve to Allow Deadly Cenk Tosun to Shine," 1 May 2018
But recently, a citizens' political revolt has formed that rails against what its members say is the city's inability to tackle severe infrastructure issues, improve quality-of-life and attract businesses.

— jeff caplan, star-telegram, "Fed-up citizens or 'radical hate group?' Politics have gone hog wild in Mineral Wells | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 28 Apr. 2018
The question for Berkshire is whether to back a shareholder revolt at USG Corp., which has rejected an offer by Germany’s Knauf of $42 a share.

— thomas black, Bloomberg.com, "Knauf’s USG Showdown Will Put Buffett to the Test," 12 Apr. 2018
In 1848, some 70 years before the sale of the Virgin Islands, Denmark abolished slavery in the former Danish West Indes as the enslaved population was poised for a full scale revolt.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "New Statue Immortalizes Mary Thomas, Who Led a Revolt Against Danish Colonial Rule," 5 Apr. 2018

First Known Use of revolt

1560

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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revolt Synonyms

Synonyms

insurgence, insurgency, insurrection, mutiny, outbreak, rebellion, revolution, rising, uprising;

Near Antonyms

counterinsurgency, counterrevolution;

sedition, treachery, treason;

subversion;

Synonym Discussion of revolt

rebellion, revolution, uprising, revolt, insurrection, mutiny mean an outbreak against authority. rebellion implies an open formidable resistance that is often unsuccessful.

- open rebellion against the officers

revolution applies to a successful rebellion resulting in a major change (as in government).

- a political revolution that toppled the monarchy

uprising implies a brief, limited, and often immediately ineffective rebellion.

- quickly put down the uprising

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

mutiny applies to group insubordination or insurrection especially against naval authority.

- a mutiny led by the ship's cook

Other Government and Politics Terms

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

REVOLT Defined for English Language Learners

revolt

verb

Definition of revolt for English Language Learners

: to fight in a violent way against the rule of a leader or government
: to act in a way that shows that you do not accept the control or influence of someone or something
: to cause (someone) to feel disgust or shock

revolt

noun

Definition of revolt for English Language Learners

: violent action against a ruler or government
: something which shows that you will not accept something or will not agree to be controlled or influenced by someone or something

REVOLT Defined for Kids

revolt

verb re·volt \ ri-ˈvōlt \

Definition of revolt for Students

revolted; revolting

1 : to rebel against a ruler or government

2 : to be or cause to be disgusted or shocked

I was revolted by the smell.

revolt

noun

Definition of revolt for Students

: violent action against a ruler or government : rebellion

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See words that rhyme with revolt Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for revolt Spanish Central: Translation of revolt Nglish: Translation of revolt for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of revolt for Arabic speakers

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revolt

Definition of revolt

revolter

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revolution and revolt

Origin and Etymology of revolt

revolt Synonyms

Synonyms

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revolt

Definition of revolt

Examples of revolt in a Sentence

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First Known Use of revolt

revolt Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of revolt

Other Government and Politics Terms

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REVOLT Defined for English Language Learners

revolt

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revolt

Definition of revolt for English Language Learners

REVOLT Defined for Kids

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