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

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said in a statement that the rebel group targeted the King Fahd International Airport in the eastern city of Dammam on Wednesday evening. — Finya Swai, The Hill, 22 Oct. 2026

Since early 2025, the March 23 Movement, a rebel group, has seized control of large parts of the park, fueling poaching, deforestation and trafficking. — Elodie Toto, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

Noun

In December 2024, Syrian rebels streamed into Damascus in a surprise attack that toppled President Bashar al-Assad and put an end to more than 13 bloody years of civil war. — Emily Feng, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2026

Ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz, however, still face attacks from Iran, while the Bab el-Mandeb Strait near Yemen has been threatened by the Houthi rebels. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 23 Oct. 2026

Verb

And there would have been girls rebelling against social etiquette back then, like, there would now. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026

Saudi commentators publicly cast the UAE as a younger sibling rebelling against a wiser one. — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026

Phrases Containing rebel

• rebel (against)