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
The win marks the latest example of an insurgent Democrat pulling off a victory in the primary over a more moderate opponent with a significant cash advantage. — Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026 In both races, the two incumbents faced insurgents who ran under the democratic socialist banner with campaigns that emphasized universal health care, cost-of-living concerns and opposition to Israel. — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 19 Aug. 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
  • In addition to traditional library services, the indoor-outdoor space feels like an adventure center, with a revolutionary lending system for items like kites and snowshoes.
    — Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Tehran continues to adhere to the core features of its revolutionary ideology, including its anti-American and anti-Israeli foreign policy, but can also act with pragmatism when circumstances demand it.
    — Nate Swanson, Foreign Affairs, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of revolutionary
Noun
  • In her 1974 novel The Hearing Trumpet, a nonagenarian vegetarian heroine named Marian rebels against patriarchal institutions.
    — Kelly Presutti, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Al-Sharaa ousted President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 in an offensive led by HTS rebels.
    — Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of rebel
Adjective
  • Andrew Garfield is not just a rebellious peasant in his upcoming action period drama.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Green and Perry starred alongside one another on the hit Fox series, in which Green portrayed the aspiring musician David Silver while Perry starred as the rebellious Dylan McKay, for 10 years from 1990 to 2000.
    — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 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
  • At face value, young men exercising should not be reason to sound the alarms, and yet there is something treacherous about men in their formative years placing physical beauty as the ultimate expression of self-actualization.
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Jacksonville, a city of about 1 million, is particularly treacherous for children living in areas north and west of downtown.
    — Yona Gavino, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of treacherous
Adjective
  • Somehow, against that mutinous backdrop, a sense of stability arrived.
    — Oliver Kay, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The 1990s were a period of instability across the country, including in Goma, which saw periods of widespread looting that started with mutinous security forces and during which soldiers terrorized the population.
    — Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 July 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 1 Sep. 2026.

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