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
Daniel Drake,
The New York Review of Books,
16 May 2026
Mazzini therefore proposed to rely solely upon a national insurrectionary movement, aiming at unity in a free republic.
—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
12 Mar. 2026
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
Adjective
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
Mazzini therefore proposed to rely solely upon a national insurrectionary movement, aiming at unity in a free republic.
—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
12 Mar. 2026
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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Four years ago, during his insurgent first campaign, this editorial board had been wary of some of Mejia’s radical rhetoric.
-
Twenty years on, Pratt is once again a figure who can’t be ignored: an insurgent challenger to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’s reelection bid.
Noun
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Well after the first Darfur war had faded from headlines, this duo continued to put down rebel groups throughout the country through brutal methods.
-
Finding an off-ramp is increasingly becoming necessary for GOP leadership as House rebels threaten to shut down the floor in the absence of a path forward.
Noun
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Some imagery on the shirt, depicting Haitian revolutionaries from the early 1800s, was declared political and therefore not allowed, having fallen foul of FIFA’s often quite stringent rules around kits at World Cups.
-
The garments, designed by Stella Jean, a Haitian Italian fashion designer, featured a painting of the Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture, Dessalines’ fellow revolutionary.
Cite this Entry
“Insurrectionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insurrectionary. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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