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
There is a special difficulty in applying just-war theory to wars between a powerful military and an insurgent group. — Jordi Graupera, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026 Gavroche and the insurgents of 1832—the wretched who became rioters—were ready to die defending a particular vision of the republic against the July Monarchy and the usurper Louis-Philippe. — Ollivier Pourriol, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 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
  • Any team that signs Skubal must be comfortable with his health, as the lefty missed six weeks before the All-Star break due to a revolutionary NanoScope surgery to remove a loose body in his throwing elbow.
    — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Then barely two weeks before the midterms, the BSO channeled Boston’s revolutionary spirit with explosive AI.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of revolutionary
Noun
  • Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry rejected similar Sudanese accusations in a May 5 statement, calling them baseless, and accused Sudan of supporting rebels in its northern Tigray region.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2026
  • In Colombia’s rural Guaviare region, poor ranchers eke out a living in obscurity, surrounded by armed rebels who traffic cocaine.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of rebel
Adjective
  • With its choppy layers, tousled texture, and extra length at the nape, this wolf cut brought a rebellious twist to her usual regal aesthetic.
    — Amanda Le, InStyle, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The selection also features Dutch director Sabine Lubbe Bakker’s Premier Souffle, exploring whether a rebellious outsider can find her place in the world after years of isolation from her community.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 Oct. 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
  • Young protestors answered with an insurrectionary energy in the summer and soon found support from a broader coalition comprised of opposition parties, social movements and other pillars of Indian civil society.
    — Asim Ali, Time, 24 Oct. 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
  • Adapting to these changes while navigating generational turnover can be treacherous.
    — Will Hausberg, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Without that or a cord to stop you from picking up debris in hard-to-reach places, vacuuming won’t seem like such a treacherous chore with the V9 Motorbar.
    — Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 2 Nov. 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 8 Nov. 2026.

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