Synonyms of insubordinate

insubordinate 1 of 3

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
• recalcitrant
• willful
• contumacious
• refractory
• obstreperous
• contrary
• unruly
• mischievous
• wayward
• naughty
• intractable
• rigid
• dogged
• restive
• ungovernable
• dissident
• adamant
• insurgent
• balky
• untoward
• unrelenting
• incompliant
• mutinous
• rude
• froward
• uncooperative
• wild
• uncontrollable
• resistant
• recusant
• obstinate
• bad
• peevish
• headstrong
• obdurate
• mulish
• noncooperative
• unbending
• pertinacious
• unmanageable
• uncompromising
• opinionated
• disorderly
• negativistic
• monkeying
• inflexible
• fractious
• insolent
• hardheaded
• disrespectful
• implacable
• undisciplined
• pigheaded
• impudent
• immovable
• unyielding
• wrongheaded
• perverse
• self-willed
• 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 3

noun (1)

as in rebel

Related Words

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

Dissimilar Words

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

insubordination

3 of 3

noun (2)

as in rebellion

refusal to obey

was fired for chronic insubordination

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rebellion
• defiance
• rebelliousness
• disobedience
• willfulness
• disrespect
• unruliness
• contumacy
• contrariness
• rudeness
• recalcitrance
• waywardness
• refractoriness
• intractability
• obstreperousness
• frowardness
• noncooperation
• stubbornness
• civil disobedience
• insolence
• balkiness
• impoliteness
• perversity
• impudence
• inconsiderateness
• obstinacy
• pigheadedness
• peevishness
• obduracy
• impertinence
• inconsideration
• pertinacity
• self-will
• tenacity
• doggedness
• ungraciousness
• tenaciousness
• mischievousness
• hardheadedness
• naughtiness
• discourteousness
• knavery
• obdurateness
• pertinaciousness
• obstinateness
• mulishness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• subordination
• obedience
• compliance
• submission
• tractability
• amiability
• subservience
• agreeability
• subserviency
• amenability
• submissiveness
• slavishness
• subordinateness
• tractableness
• deference
• docility
• trainability
• dutifulness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of insubordinate

Adjective

New research shows Hinton’s premonitions about the insubordinate streak of AI may already be a reality. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2026

No one’s arc is insubordinate; no one’s emotional logic is insignificant. — Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026

Noun

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

Among the grounds listed are fraud, embezzlement, theft, misappropriation of district resources, breach of fiduciary duty, neglect of duties, criminal convictions, violations of law, policy violations, dishonesty, insubordination and failure to perform contractual obligations. — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 18 June 2026