insurgent 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of insurgentnext
as in revolutionary
taking part in a rebellion any insurgent soldiers will be dealt with harshly

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

insurgent

2 of 2

noun

in-ˈsər-jənt How to pronounce insurgent (audio)
as in rebel
a person who rises up against authority the government subjected the insurgents to the most inhuman torture imaginable

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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 insurgent
Adjective
Spencer Pratt, once the villain of the 2000s MTV reality show The Hills and now an insurgent candidate in this year’s Los Angeles mayoral race, had a breakthrough moment in his first debate performance last Wednesday. — Miles Klee, Wired News, 15 May 2026 The Republican is seeking a sixth term of six years this fall in what is expected to be one of the nation’s most competitive Senate races against insurgent 41-year-old oysterman and veteran Graham Platner, a Democrat. — Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 7 May 2026
Noun
Many of the 9/11 hijackers, for instance, initially went to Afghanistan with the intention to acquire skills and connections before traveling onward to Chechnya to fight alongside Chechen insurgents against Russian security forces. — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026 The festival was an impressive feat of planning and production, an execution of vision that may or may not translate into alternative, insurgent thought or actions. — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for insurgent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insurgent
  1. revolutionary
  2. rebel
  3. rebellious
  4. traitorous
  5. insurrectionary
  6. treacherous
  7. mutinous
Adjective
  • The revolutionary ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction allowed John to win an additional 164 games, more than half of his career total of 288 victories.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Hardly an impartial judge of his own life, the Unabomber’s stated willingness to serve as the face of a revolutionary movement is chilling.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of revolutionary
Noun
  • The rebels have also intensified their attacks across the border into Saudi Arabia, attacking its oil facilities and preventing its tankers from passing through the Bab el-Mandeb strait, through which around 12% of global trade passes.
    — Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • While the British prevailed over the rebels, the uprising laid the foundations for African nationalism.
    — Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of rebel
Adjective
  • Vivienne Westwood, who died in 2022, helped define the punk fashion movement and became internationally known for rebellious designs that challenged conventional ideas of fashion and style.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Emma and Lizzie belong to a wealthy New England family and were once close, but as Lizzie and her rebellious housemaid Bridget Sullivan (Vicky Krieps) become deeply entangled, their relationship strains.
    — Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of rebellious
Adjective
  • Telemachus’ lone contribution is killing Melanthius, the traitorous Ithacan farmhand, thus preventing him from continuing to arm the suitors.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 17 July 2026
  • And at the very center of Hell is Satan himself, the traitorous Archangel Lucifer, depicted as a monstrous creature with wings and three heads.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 11 May 2026
Definition of traitorous
Adjective
  • The people who joined were not there at the behest of a political organization but were drawn, like pilgrims to hip pilgrimage sites, by the promise of an insurrectionary pleasure.
    — Asim Ali, Time, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The Iranian regime was, if not on the ropes, then in very serious trouble as recently as January, when, amid a terrible economic situation with an eviscerated middle class, a large proportion of the population—disgruntled, unhappy, insurrectionary, revolutionary—came out to protest on the streets.
    — Daniel Drake, The New York Review of Books, 16 May 2026
Definition of insurrectionary
Adjective
  • Many of these migrants navigate the passage on makeshift boats that can capsize in treacherous waters.
    — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The hillside was too treacherous for anybody to carry a litter up it, and a helicopter couldn’t descend in such a narrow airspace.
    — Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of treacherous
Adjective
  • Seven top clergypersons of the Armenian Apostolic Church, including the church head, Karekin II, have been charged with crimes related to the church’s refusal to restore a mutinous bishop.
    — Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Such mutinous talk only heightened conservative Justices’ sense that the barbarians were storming the gate.
    — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of mutinous

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Cite this Entry

“Insurgent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insurgent. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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