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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Myanmar is worried about resistance to military rule, India is concerned with insurgent groups in its northeast.—
Michael Sullivan,
NPR,
30 May 2026
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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
Noun
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Accompanying the violence, both the Naxals and the security forces – including local militia raised to combat the rebels – have been accused of horrific human rights abuses, including abductions, torture and rape.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
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The rebels have reported two cases.—
Jean-Yves Kamale,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Noun
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Not helping was Parliament’s passage of the Tea Act in 1773, to which revolutionaries responded by dumping tea into Boston Harbor.—
Laurie Kellman,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
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Not helping was Parliament's passage of the Tea Act in 1773, to which revolutionaries responded by dumping tea into Boston Harbor.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Insurrectionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insurrectionary. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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