as in insurrections
open fighting against authority (as one's own government)
there always seems to be insurgency of some type in that troubled country
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Recent Examples of insurgencies
Iraq should also serve as a warning for the PLA, as post-decapitation insurgencies last for many years after.
—
Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 10 Jan. 2026
In this sense, the rebellion led by Joseph Cinque and his comrades sheds light not only on slave ship insurgencies, but also on the richness of African challenges to enslavement.
—Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025
Takeovers in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, for example, were driven in part by growing terrorist insurgencies, Russian disinformation and rising anti-French sentiment.
—John Joseph Chin, The Conversation, 1 Dec. 2025
By then the Defense Department had also been sharing with Venezuelans a secret plan to foment insurgencies called Operation X Zone.
—Kevin G. Hall, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
The country has for decades grappled with complex security challenges, particularly Islamist insurgencies such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent history in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq suggests that insurgencies can wear down regular armies over time.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 1 Oct. 2025
Unlike some other ethnic armed organizations leading insurgencies against the junta, the KNA is a pro-junta militia formally folded into the army’s command.
—Dan Swift, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2025
The area has been engulfed in decades-long conflict between armed ethnic groups and the Burmese authorities, who are now fighting multiple insurgencies following the 2021 military coup and its violent crackdown on opposition forces.
—Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 10 Jan. 2026
In this sense, the rebellion led by Joseph Cinque and his comrades sheds light not only on slave ship insurgencies, but also on the richness of African challenges to enslavement.
—Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025
Takeovers in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, for example, were driven in part by growing terrorist insurgencies, Russian disinformation and rising anti-French sentiment.
—John Joseph Chin, The Conversation, 1 Dec. 2025
By then the Defense Department had also been sharing with Venezuelans a secret plan to foment insurgencies called Operation X Zone.
—Kevin G. Hall, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
The country has for decades grappled with complex security challenges, particularly Islamist insurgencies such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent history in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq suggests that insurgencies can wear down regular armies over time.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 1 Oct. 2025
Unlike some other ethnic armed organizations leading insurgencies against the junta, the KNA is a pro-junta militia formally folded into the army’s command.
—Dan Swift, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2025
The area has been engulfed in decades-long conflict between armed ethnic groups and the Burmese authorities, who are now fighting multiple insurgencies following the 2021 military coup and its violent crackdown on opposition forces.
—Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insurgencies
Noun
-
Wars and insurrections have afflicted other parts of the Middle East, but Baghdad—a city whose name was once synonymous with suicide bombings and sectarian murder—has been spared.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The president can also legally invoke the military under the Insurrection Act, which allows troops to be deployed in order to curb insurrections.—
Alison Durkee,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Worth about $5 million, the Chew Valley Hoard is believed to have been hidden for safekeeping nearly 1,000 years ago, as Saxon rebellions against William the Conqueror roiled England; just under half of the 2,584 coins feature the last Anglo-Saxon king Harold II.—
Brendan Ruberry,
semafor.com,
3 Dec. 2025
-
While the sicko elites bask in the violence, Kawaji sees the Kodoku as a means of exterminating the remaining samurai, who have staged multiple rebellions against the Japanese empire.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
On what makes current protests different Pahlavi also spoke about how the current protests, which were sparked last month by the collapse of the country's currency, are different from past uprisings.—
Caitlin Yilek,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Middle East efforts In Bulgaria, Mladenov held the position of defense minister for a year, before serving as foreign minister from 2010-13, during the uprisings in the Middle East known as the Arab Spring when Syria also descended into civil war.—
Veselin Toshkov,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The society’s equilibrium has been profoundly disrupted and can easily tip into escalating popular revolts and open elite resistance, producing a revolution.—
Karim Sadjadpour,
The Atlantic,
10 Jan. 2026
-
The result was that, where earlier fiscal crises had been met by waves of municipal-level revolts against mainstream economic policies, New York witnessed no such revolts in the 1970s.—
Daniel Wortel-London,
Washington Post,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This includes leader assassination attempts by political opponents or lone wolves or mutinies by disgruntled soldiers who might even march on the presidential palace to demand higher pay, promotions or other policy concessions.—
John Joseph Chin,
The Conversation,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Insurgencies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insurgencies. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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