Synonyms of rebel

rebel 1 of 3

adjective

ˈre-bəl 

as in rebellious

given to resisting authority or another's control

today's rebel chefs feel free to ignore the dictates of classic French cuisine

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rebellious
• defiant
• stubborn
• willful
• disobedient
• contrary
• insubordinate
• dissident
• recalcitrant
• wayward
• naughty
• mischievous
• refractory
• contumacious
• unruly
• restive
• rigid
• insurgent
• dogged
• adamant
• obstreperous
• ungovernable
• intractable
• balky
• wild
• froward
• recusant
• unrelenting
• untoward
• resistant
• mutinous
• bad
• uncontrollable
• incompliant
• rude
• obstinate
• uncooperative
• peevish
• noncooperative
• headstrong
• opinionated
• uncompromising
• implacable
• mulish
• monkeying
• negativistic
• hardheaded
• unbending
• obdurate
• nonconformist
• immovable
• pertinacious
• unmanageable
• unyielding
• fractious
• undisciplined
• disorderly
• inflexible
• adamantine
• errant
• self-willed
• impudent
• pigheaded
• insolent
• disrespectful
• wrongheaded
• perverse
• ornery
• uncouth
• discourteous
• misbehaving
• ungracious
• impertinent
• inconsiderate
• uncivil
• monkeyish
• impolite
• unmannerly
• ill-mannered
• ill-natured
• ill-bred

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• obedient
• cooperative
• submissive
• compliant
• docile
• amenable
• conformable
• acquiescent
• amiable
• tractable
• agreeable
• deferential
• disciplined
• behaved
• yielding
• biddable
• polite
• well-bred
• respectful
• obliging
• servile
• courteous
• slavish
• subservient
• proper
• ruly
• orderly
• obsequious
• decorous
• controllable
• manageable
• mannerly
• trainable
• kowtowing
• governable

rebel

2 of 3

noun

as in insurgent

a person who rises up against authority

the rebel would not submit peacefully, even after he was captured

Synonyms & Similar Words

• insurgent
• revolutionary
• revolter
• insurrectionist
• mutineer
• revolutionist
• anarchist
• red
• insurrectionary
• challenger
• resistant
• resister
• insubordinate
• oppositionist
• discontent
• recusant
• extremist
• defier
• radical
• refuser
• anarch
• malcontent

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• patriot
• loyalist
• supporter
• counterrevolutionary
• counterinsurgent
• counterrevolutionist

rebel

3 of 3

verb

ri-ˈbel 

as in to revolt

to rise up against established authority

the colonists rebelled in the wake of an onslaught of abuses

Synonyms & Similar Words

• revolt
• mutiny
• resist
• fight
• disobey
• kick over the traces
• mock
• oppose
• defy
• revolutionize
• contest
• combat
• withstand
• buck

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• follow
• submit
• comply (with)
• obey
• serve
• attend
• mind

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of rebel

Adjective

Taylor, who led the rebel movement before becoming Liberia's president, was later convicted of aiding and abetting crimes committed by rebel forces in neighboring Sierra Leone. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026

The rebel Queen Zenobia was a brilliant military and political leader who conquered Egypt and much of the eastern Roman Empire before challenging Rome itself. — Liz Regalia, Parents, 9 Sep. 2026

Noun

All of these rebels form part of the rich and complex human comedy that Jean-Pierre Laffont has compiled over half a century in America. — Lucy Sante, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026

The State Department issued a caution warning to Americans in the Middle East on Saturday night after Houthi rebels in Yemen launched a ballistic missile at an airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital. — Carter Schroppe, The Washington Examiner, 20 Sep. 2026

Verb

With fatter paychecks, customers are rebelling against the chains that serve up shrinkflation and replace workers with broken self-checkout machines and touchscreen kiosks. — Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026

Stephens arrives as if the plan remained intact, her head-to-toe leather look rebelling against the searing heat. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 18 Aug. 2026

Phrases Containing rebel

• rebel (against)