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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in insurgent
a person who rises up against authority
the rebel would not submit peacefully, even after he was captured
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to revolt
to rise up against established authority
the colonists rebelled in the wake of an onslaught of abuses
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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 rebel
Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 May 2025
Dozens of young men marched into the square after Friday prayers ended at a nearby mosque, waving the flag of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Sunni former rebel group that took power in December.
—Nanna Heitmann, New York Times, 3 May 2025
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 14 May 2025
The sanctions had been imposed against Assad’s regime amid a brutal civil war, and his government was driven out of office by Syrian rebels late last year.
—Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 14 May 2025
Victoria Turk, The Atlantic, 29 Apr. 2025
The barbarians are all those who hate human nature, all those who trample upon the sense of the sacred, all those who do not value life, all those who rebel against God the Creator of man and nature.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rebel
Adjective
Iran has denied accusations of providing assistance to the rebel group.
—Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 May 2025
Dozens of young men marched into the square after Friday prayers ended at a nearby mosque, waving the flag of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Sunni former rebel group that took power in December.
—Nanna Heitmann, New York Times, 3 May 2025
Noun
Having watched Cassian’s evolution from a rando into a rebel over the course of 24 episodes, decent chunks of Rogue One will hit a little weirdly.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 14 May 2025
The sanctions had been imposed against Assad’s regime amid a brutal civil war, and his government was driven out of office by Syrian rebels late last year.
—Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 14 May 2025
Verb
Perhaps some people will rebel, leaning into their own linguistic mannerisms in order to differentiate themselves.
—Victoria Turk, The Atlantic, 29 Apr. 2025
The barbarians are all those who hate human nature, all those who trample upon the sense of the sacred, all those who do not value life, all those who rebel against God the Creator of man and nature.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rebel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebel
Adjective
-
Still, Adams failed to outright ask the most important questions: Were Canadians ever willing to join the rebellious Thirteen Colonies?—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
12 May 2025
-
Libra: Marge Simpson from The Simpsons Only a Libra mother could calmly and miraculously put up with the shenanigans that her three rebellious children cause.—
Lisa Stardust,
People.com,
11 May 2025
Noun
-
As threats from insurgents faded, crackdowns by an authoritarian government surged.—
Mitra Taj,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
-
As a result, the new international legal architecture curbed starvation tactics in interstate wars and during occupations but stopped short of fully criminalizing the weapon, particularly when used by poorer states against insurgent groups in civil wars.—
Boyd van Dijk,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
June, whose unflinching stare is the surest way to persuade the Handmaids to revolt, is going to sneak into Beantown and arm the others with knives.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
6 May 2025
-
In it, Jones, with his customary frankness and high articulation, addressed his career in relation to, and revolt against, the path Ailey cut for Black dancers.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
2 May 2025
Adjective
-
The defiant message comes after weeks of intense news coverage and a Republican House committee investigation into Hope Florida and its nonprofit charity arm, the Hope Florida Foundation.—
Lawrence Mower,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2025
-
For weeks, Chinese officials had projected a defiant position, demanding the US remove all tariffs on China before agreeing to come to the negotiation table.—
Nectar Gan,
CNN Money,
12 May 2025
Noun
-
The film centers on the young Syrian revolutionaries who rebel against the regime of then-Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s and create an secret underground library with thousands of books buried under the ruins.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
14 May 2025
-
There, Neto and Rafael — revolutionaries and lovers — are separated by the Salvadoran conflict.—
Chris Vognar,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2025
Verb
-
In 1913, Swiss Guards mutinied for a week in response but eventually received military training as Repond wanted, Alvarez wrote in The Pope's Soldiers: A Military History of the Modern Vatican.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
7 May 2025
-
In June 2023, the group mutinied and marched on Moscow before then leader Yevgeny Prigozhin negotiated a deal with the Kremlin.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
Newsweek,
13 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Rebel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebel. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share