OPPOSITIONIST Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

oppositionist

noun

Definition of oppositionist

as in challenger

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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 oppositionist Yesterday, in an effort to galvanize democratic forces, oppositionists announced the foundation of the Strategic Council of Republicans Inside Iran. — Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2026 Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is a Sunni Islamist umbrella group of oppositionist forces with ideological and organizational roots in al-Qaeda. — Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024 Within Russia, the oppositionists’ challenges are far greater. — Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2024 Characteristically, Navalny tried to buck up his fellow oppositionists. — The Editors, National Review, 16 Feb. 2024

Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppositionist

Noun

This same poll showed Hochul, a Democrat, leading her Republican challenger, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, by a margin of 20 percentage points – a promising sign for her reelection campaign.

— Paxton Honerkamp, CNBC, 14 July 2026
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, several would-be Collins' challengers descended upon the scene — and her office — to speak out.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 2026

Definition of challenger

Noun

Mali’s junta has accused Algeria of backing local extremist rebels who are linked to the Muslim militant group al-Qaida.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 July 2026
That was the year the United States went to war with Spain in Cuba alongside Cuban and Puerto Rican rebels and in the Philippines.

— Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of rebel

Noun

But Democratic leaders fear that the insurgent candidates risk blowing winnable races for Democrats with messages considered too radical for most voters.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 July 2026
Across the country, insurgent candidates-—-perhaps most notably Zohran Mamdani in New York City—have found traction by presenting themselves as unapologetic fighters willing to challenge both Republicans and their own party’s leadership.

— Nik Popli, Time, 8 July 2026

Definition of insurgent

Noun

In November 1971, Berkeley, California, became the first sanctuary city in the country when 12 local churches inspired the City Council to pass a resolution offering sanctuary to draft resisters.

— Menika Dirkson, The Conversation, 8 Apr. 2026
Clemson resister Dabo Swinney has driven his program into the ground.

— Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026

Definition of resister

Noun

As the head of China’s Nationalist government, Chiang and his party were trying to establish control in a nation divided among revolutionists, nationalists, Indigenous warlords, and a developing communist army and government.

— Susan Tate Ankeny, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Apr. 2024
Many revolutionists see heavy tank casualties in Ukraine as the key indicator for the tank’s looming obsolescence in the face of newly lethal precision antitank weapons.

— Stephen Biddle, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2023

Definition of revolutionist

Noun

Earlier this week, Swiss anarchist-hacker Maia Arson Crimew leaked information about Dialog, the secretive, invite-only organization cofounded by right-wing tech billionaire Peter Thiel in 2006.

— Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 18 June 2026
Trump has long invoked the term against a range of political opponents, including peaceful protesters without anarchist-leanings.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 June 2026

Definition of anarchist

Noun

The monarchy was overthrown in the February Revolution of 1917, and the tsar and his family became prisoners of the revolutionaries.

— Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 July 2026
The original Jacobins were the most radical faction of the French revolutionaries.

— David Brooks, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026

Definition of revolutionary

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“Oppositionist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppositionist. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of oppositionist

noun

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