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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in insurgent
a person who rises up against authority
the rebel would not submit peacefully, even after he was captured
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to revolt
to rise up against established authority
the colonists rebelled in the wake of an onslaught of abuses
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rebel
Mark Banchereau, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2026
The unexplained detonation of explosives stored by one of Myanmar’s rebel armies has killed dozens, the militia that controls the village and witnesses said Monday, as the search for survivors continued amid widespread devastation at the site.
—Reuters, NBC news, 1 June 2026
The Deadline Team, Deadline, 10 June 2026
Blanche’s confirmation isn’t assured and just one GOP rebel could stop the whole thing in the Judiciary Committee.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 10 June 2026
Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 28 May 2026
After rebelling against the authority of the Jade Emperor (the supreme deity in traditional Chinese cosmology), he is subdued by the Buddha and imprisoned beneath the Five Elements Mountain.
—Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for rebel
Adjective
Attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces, a rebel group allied with the Islamic State group, and a coalition of ethnic militias also have hindered the response.
—Mark Banchereau, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2026
The unexplained detonation of explosives stored by one of Myanmar’s rebel armies has killed dozens, the militia that controls the village and witnesses said Monday, as the search for survivors continued amid widespread devastation at the site.
—Reuters, NBC news, 1 June 2026
Noun
Norm is one of Vault 33’s few skeptics or rebels.
—The Deadline Team, Deadline, 10 June 2026
Blanche’s confirmation isn’t assured and just one GOP rebel could stop the whole thing in the Judiciary Committee.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 10 June 2026
Verb
The teenagers were rebelling, like teenagers are supposed to.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 28 May 2026
After rebelling against the authority of the Jade Emperor (the supreme deity in traditional Chinese cosmology), he is subdued by the Buddha and imprisoned beneath the Five Elements Mountain.
—Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for rebel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebel
Adjective
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As a whole, the return of the Ninja 300 feels almost rebellious in today's motorcycle market.—
Utkarsh Sood
June 13,
New Atlas,
13 June 2026
-
Difficult teenage years with lots of poor decisions and rebellious behavior.—
Eric Thomas,
Sun Sentinel,
11 June 2026
Noun
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The outbreak, reported in 14 of Borno state’s 27 local governments, is unfolding in communities with health systems made fragile by nearly two decades of violent extremism from the Boko Haram insurgent group.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 June 2026
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After Daft Punk’s rise from underground dance music heroes to chart-topping pop insurgents, Bangalter followed different muses in different directions.—
Andy Battaglia,
ARTnews.com,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Starmer has seen the departure of several junior and senior ministers in recent weeks, as Labor Party lawmakers revolt and rivals plot, in despair at the government’s relentless unpopularity.—
Jill Lawless,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
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Starmer has seen the departure of several junior and senior ministers in recent weeks, as Labour Party lawmakers revolt and rivals plot, in despair at the government’s relentless unpopularity.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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Continue reading … POLITICS GROUNDED — Republicans cheer plan to choke international travel at defiant liberal hubs.—
,
FOXNews.com,
9 June 2026
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Speaking to voters over the weekend from the picturesque resort town of Ogunquit, the Washington Examiner found an air of unease among some, in one case downright hostility, and in others defiant support.—
David Millward,
The Washington Examiner,
7 June 2026
Noun
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Kings, poets, scientists and revolutionaries wanted to meet him and sought his advice.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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Al Pacino plays a CIA operative orchestrating a covert plan to eliminate the Cuban revolutionary.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Starmer’s premiership is on a knife-edge this week as a significant number of Labour Party MPs have openly mutinied, calling for the PM to resign immediately, or to set out a timetable for his departure.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
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Treated by many Americans as a traitor who had mutinied, Mr. Thompson was threatened with prosecution by lawmakers before being recognized decades later as a hero.—
Anna Mulrine Grobe,
Christian Science Monitor,
6 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rebel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebel. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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