INSISTED Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

insisted

verb

past tense of insist

as in claimed

to state as a fact usually forcefully she continued to insist that she was right, even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 insisted Parton didn't say so, but Steinem insisted more than three decades ago that the pair fit together under the same feminist flag. — ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026 Mills insisted the photos didn't need nudity to make an impression. — Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026 When Emmanuel Macron revived the idea, in 2018, a curator at the Bayeux Museum insisted that moving the frankly archeological textile was, conservationally speaking, inconceivable. — John Phipps, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026 But Fidel Castro publicly insisted that the mission of the Santrina trip was to ultimately sneak Posada into Florida. — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026 Wanting to leave a trace of his own musical fingerprint amid all that classical formality, McCartney insisted on an unorthodox bluesy note in the cello line that Martin warned wasn’t in keeping with the baroque style. — Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026 Despite being presented with those numbers on Thursday, Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes insisted that Ohtani’s offensive swoon cannot be tied to his health. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Reddington and the rest of the defense team have insisted despite sending her now ex-husband out on errands before the triple killing, Clancy was in the thrall of postpartum psychosis. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026 The secretary insisted he is focused on leading the War Department. — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 29 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for insisted

Verb

In the initial complaint obtained by USA TODAY, Said claimed she was placed on an all-male team that included Gutman and two other crew members.

— Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026
The proposal would have directed money from the Treasury Department’s Judgment Fund to compensate people who claimed they were politically targeted by federal investigations during the Biden administration.

— Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of claimed

Verb

The plaintiffs, Priscilla Sterling, Raine Becker, Shawn Miller and John Bennett, alleged that the city knowingly allowed residents to drink unsafe water.

— Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026
In one of those suits, a young Chicago father, Rafael Veraza, alleged that an ordinary shopping trip turned into an attack.

— Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of alleged

Verb

Hoskins asserted that a referendum petition could not be used for congressional redistricting.

— DAVID A. LIEB, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026
In April, the Actors Committee of the China Federation of Radio and Television Associations released a statement condemning such infringements and asserted that AI platforms needed to comply with the laws and strengthen their compliance rules.

— Ling Wei, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of asserted

Verb

Prosecutors also contended Alvarez was still an active member of the 18th Street gang.

— James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
This increase in work, the jury contended, was directly tied to Skains’ decision to file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which determined Skains had the right to sue over the discrimination.

— Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of contended

Verb

At the time, NBA commissioner Adam Silver declared the change was intended to signal that the WNBA held equal stature with other major professional leagues.

— Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
The Houthis also declared a blockade of Saudi shipping using the Red Sea – a vital outlet for the kingdom’s crude oil since Iran has sought to block the Strait of Hormuz.

— Becky Anderson, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of declared

Verb

Roy Ring, production superintendent for the 583rd Missile Maintenance Squadron, said crews have maintained these systems for decades.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
Vucic has refused to join EU sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and has maintained close relations with China.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of maintained

Verb

Dozens protested the bar’s liquor license renewal, citing noise from live entertainment and overcapacity crowds outside the property.

— Christopher Scarglato, Baltimore Sun, 8 Sep. 2026
Japan has protested against Chinese controls that will limit its exports of a key chemical used to make computer chips, saying Tuesday that Tokyo is studying the potential impact on Japanese companies.

— Chan Ho-Him, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of protested

Verb

The new equipment was announced at an industry conference in Wuxi, China, on September 2 and covers several key stages of semiconductor production.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
After starting, the student said, Carleen leaders announced the program would actually take nine months to complete.

— Annie Martin, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of announced

Browse Nearby Words

insist

insisted

insisted (on)

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Insisted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insisted. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of insisted

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

quorum

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes