1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

insubordination

noun

Definition of insubordinationnext
as in rebellion
refusal to obey was fired for chronic insubordination

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 insubordination Hubbard says they could be accused of insubordination or unprofessionalism. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 31 Aug. 2026 The trio accused the US Department of Defense of charging them with insubordination for publicly supporting that editorial independence in covering the agency, which partly funds the publication. — Liam Reilly, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026 The Defense Department delivered termination notices last week to Stars and Stripes Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin, publisher Max Lederer and Middle East reporter Lara Korte, accusing them of insubordination. — Joe Walsh, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026 The accident caps a chaotic Giants season marked by social-media flare-ups, on-field insubordination and a Pride Night uniform dispute. — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026 Quarantine orders are met with wholesale insubordination, and the government begins to ratchet its way to full martial law. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 25 July 2026 Williamson later ran afoul of the SSPX, which expelled him in 2012 for insubordination. — ABC News, 1 July 2026 Lugo also had filed insubordination charges against him. — Rafael Carranza, ProPublica, 25 June 2026 King fired Saulter from the sheriff’s department in May of this year over accusations of insubordination. — Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insubordination
  1. rebellion
  2. defiance
  3. disobedience
  4. rebelliousness
  5. disrespect
Noun
  • Meanwhile, Yudkowsky took such tropes of rebellion and rule-breaking and built a philosophical apparatus around them.
    — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The Uprising’s final act does get unwieldy, as the director tries to show just how the rebellion was betrayed.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of rebellion
Noun
  • This defiance can be thought of as a refusal to feel shame—or, at least, as the confidence to believe that the shamers are wrong.
    — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2026
  • This, itself, is the ultimate act of defiance in the face of America’s neverending frontier.
    — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of defiance
Noun
  • After federal prosecutors and defense attorneys had presented all their evidence Tuesday, Morrow’s attorneys asked Orso to dismiss the three petty charges accusing her of obstruction, disruption and disobedience.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Another child said he was forced to carry out artillery strikes and beaten for disobedience.
    — Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of disobedience
Noun
  • Whether writing five decades ago or today, the genre’s most insightful commentators have always observed how punk fuses rebelliousness with commodification, capitalism with resistance.
    — Kyle Devine, Longreads, 14 July 2026
  • Marji’s rebelliousness, both admirable and terrifying for those who love her, is her salient characteristic.
    — Hillary Chute, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026
Definition of rebelliousness
Noun
  • The board's vague message didn't point to specific administrators or specific instances of disrespect.
    — Aubrey Wright, IndyStar, 11 Sep. 2026
  • No disrespect to the players themselves, Burns said, but Dallas showing that level of concern this close to the start of the season is noteworthy.
    — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of disrespect

Browse Nearby Words

insubordinates
insubordination
insubstantial
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Insubordination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insubordination. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of volition

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All