as in insurgent
taking part in a rebellion
a small insurrectionary force that was soundly defeated by the loyalists
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in rebel
a person who rises up against authority
only a small band of insurrectionaries who were willing to stand up to the dictator
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of insurrectionary
Emerson Clarridge
updated March 6, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2026
This insurrectionary narrative about the media is not restricted to the right.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2026
In a year of cancellations and euphemisms, the city mounted a counterprogram that was quietly insurrectionary, stubbornly joyous.
—The Editors, Curbed, 15 Dec. 2025
Adjective
The government alleges the Sotos were part of a group of people who created and distributed insurrectionary materials called zines.
—Emerson Clarridge
updated March 6, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2026
This insurrectionary narrative about the media is not restricted to the right.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2026
In a year of cancellations and euphemisms, the city mounted a counterprogram that was quietly insurrectionary, stubbornly joyous.
—The Editors, Curbed, 15 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insurrectionary
Adjective
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And for two of those elections, in 1984 and 1988, the party endured a primary that pitted more establishment centrist candidates (Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis) against an insurgent firebrand Black populist, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson.—
Abby Phillip,
Time,
4 Dec. 2025
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Although some analysts have suggested Starmer may quietly be pleased with the resignation of his main rival and potential successor, the toppling of Rayner caps off what has been a dreadful summer for Labour, in which the party has lost more ground in the polls to the insurgent Reform UK.—
Max Foster,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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As the decade wore on, though, my parents grew up—as happens to young rebels—and my mother, unexpectedly, started thinking about having kids.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
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Their work and mental health were further disrupted when Houthi rebels in Yemen began attacking ships in the Red Sea, with at least nine sailors killed and 11 others held captive for five months.—
Mithil Aggarwal,
NBC news,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Among the first lessons that Iran’s Islamic revolutionaries learned after coming to power in 1979 was that their best ally against American power was American democracy.—
Karim Sadjadpour,
The Atlantic,
23 Mar. 2026
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The organizers were arrested and denounced by authorities as counter-revolutionaries.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Insurrectionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insurrectionary. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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