Synonyms of insubordinate

insubordinate 1 of 2

adjective

ˌin(t)-sə-ˈbȯr-də-nət 

as in rebellious

given to resisting authority or another's control

the junior officer was court-martialed for being insubordinate

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rebellious
• rebel
• defiant
• stubborn
• disobedient
• willful
• recalcitrant
• contumacious
• wilful
• refractory
• contrary
• obstreperous
• unruly
• mischievous
• wayward
• intractable
• naughty
• rigid
• dogged
• restive
• ungovernable
• adamant
• dissident
• insurgent
• balky
• untoward
• unrelenting
• incompliant
• mutinous
• rude
• froward
• uncooperative
• uncontrollable
• wild
• resistant
• recusant
• obstinate
• bad
• peevish
• headstrong
• obdurate
• mulish
• noncooperative
• unbending
• pertinacious
• opinionated
• unmanageable
• uncompromising
• monkeying
• disorderly
• negativistic
• inflexible
• disrespectful
• fractious
• insolent
• hardheaded
• implacable
• undisciplined
• pigheaded
• impudent
• immovable
• unyielding
• wrongheaded
• self-willed
• perverse
• ornery
• errant
• discourteous
• nonconformist
• impertinent
• uncouth
• adamantine
• uncivil
• ungracious
• unmannerly
• inconsiderate
• impolite
• misbehaving
• ill-mannered
• monkeyish
• ill-natured
• ill-bred

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• obedient
• docile
• cooperative
• submissive
• compliant
• acquiescent
• amenable
• amiable
• conformable
• tractable
• deferential
• agreeable
• disciplined
• behaved
• yielding
• biddable
• polite
• courteous
• respectful
• obliging
• servile
• well-bred
• subservient
• obsequious
• slavish
• ruly
• proper
• orderly
• decorous
• controllable
• mannerly
• manageable
• trainable
• kowtowing
• governable

insubordinate

2 of 2

noun

as in rebel

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rebel
• resistant
• insurgent
• challenger
• resister
• mutineer
• recusant
• insurrectionist
• oppositionist
• defier
• insurrectionary
• revolutionary
• anarchist
• revolutionist
• refuser
• red
• discontent
• extremist
• revolter
• anarch
• radical
• malcontent

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• patriot
• loyalist
• supporter
• counterinsurgent
• counterrevolutionary
• counterrevolutionist

Examples of insubordinate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Intended as a more ironic and downbeat alternative to the then-burgeoning Bond franchise, this spy thriller (from the novel by Len Deighton) sees Caine as a dapper, lightly insubordinate, glasses-wearing British agent who uncovers clues to a conspiracy against the world’s scientists. —Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024

All presidents should have the ability to terminate employees who are insubordinate. —Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024

Be sure to negotiate this with your boss so that you aren’t viewed as insubordinate or uncaring. —Harriette Cole, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2024

The publication conducted three separate studies and consistently found that curious employees were seen by their leaders as insubordinate and, in turn, less likable. —Byorianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 24 Nov. 2023