as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control
the junior officer was court-martialed for being insubordinate
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as in rebel
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Recent Examples of insubordinate
Arkansas Online, 26 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, Monica is having work troubles at her new job as head chef at Allesandro's restaurant involving an insubordinate kitchen staff, and Phoebe sets out to write a Christmas song for her friends but struggles with rhymes.
—Eric Todisco, PEOPLE, 13 Dec. 2025
Sean Audy with the Will County sheriff’s office said the defendant also caused trouble at the Will County jail, including threatening a deputy, being insubordinate and uncooperative.
—Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
Respondents said those issues include violent, destructive or insubordinate behavior by the students.
—Rachel Wegner, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for insubordinate
Adjective
Weiss' defenders have blasted the show's staff as insubordinate and misdirected.
—Arkansas Online, 26 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, Monica is having work troubles at her new job as head chef at Allesandro's restaurant involving an insubordinate kitchen staff, and Phoebe sets out to write a Christmas song for her friends but struggles with rhymes.
—Eric Todisco, PEOPLE, 13 Dec. 2025
Sean Audy with the Will County sheriff’s office said the defendant also caused trouble at the Will County jail, including threatening a deputy, being insubordinate and uncooperative.
—Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
Respondents said those issues include violent, destructive or insubordinate behavior by the students.
—Rachel Wegner, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for insubordinate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insubordinate
Adjective
-
The temperamental Moon activates your 3rd House of Communication, forming a supportive trine to rebellious Uranus in your 7th House of Companions.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The series picks up 15 years after the finale of The Handmaid's Tale, and follows Agnes and Daisy (Lucy Halliday), a rebellious newcomer.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Julian is both old and a devout rebel, with a lifetime’s worth of wisdom, wit and burned bridges in his arsenal.—
Lindsey Bahr,
Boston Herald,
16 Apr. 2026
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Why isn’t Homelander lasering these rebels immediately?—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The applause after the final whistle on Tuesday night and the defiant chants of an appreciative Kop spoke to a gutsy performance against Paris Saint-Germain.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Iran trolls Trump about blockade Iran struck a defiant tone ahead of the blockade’s start.—
Garrett Downs,
CNBC,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
That year, Ukraine elected a Western-leaning government, preceding Russia’s seizure of the Crimean Peninsula and arming of insurgent groups to occupy parts of the industrialised east of the country.—
Colin Millar,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Myanmar's military junta doesn't control the whole territory; much of it is controlled by insurgent groups and warlords; while Cambodian politics has been dominated by one family since the 1980s.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Feldstein Soto’s challenger in the city attorney’s race, John McKinney, said the public deserves immediate answers.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
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In Europe, investors will be looking ahead to the general election in Hungary taking place on Sunday, where Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is on course to lose to the main challenger party, Fidesz, in what could be the biggest power shift in 16 years.—
Leonie Kidd,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Clemson resister Dabo Swinney has driven his program into the ground.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
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In November 1971, Berkeley, California, became the first sanctuary city in the country when 12 local churches inspired the City Council to pass a resolution offering sanctuary to draft resisters.—
Menika Dirkson,
The Conversation,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Language purists like to remind anyone who will listen that decimation actually means the slaughter of one in ten people, and was the military punishment wielded by the Roman army against deserters and mutineers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Oct. 2025
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Few among the bureaucratic, business, and even military elites denounced the mutineers, exposing limited support for Putin.—
ANDREI YAKOVLEV,
Foreign Affairs,
16 May 2025
Noun
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The uniform of the conformist — sports shirt, cardigan, tennis shoes — is as easily recognized as that of the recusant — dirty white T, sideburns, two days’ growth of beard.—
Chris Jones,
chicagotribune.com,
15 July 2019
Cite this Entry
“Insubordinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insubordinate. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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