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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rebel
Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026
The county has been scarred by endless fighting involving rebel forces.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2026
Blanche Marcel, Vanity Fair, 12 May 2026
The rebels’ final push to victory would take them right past the front door of Cardenas’ three-quarter-acre hacienda.
—Ed Guzman, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026
Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
More than two centuries after the 13 colonies rebelled against King George III and sent his redcoats packing, a direct descendant of that monarch will arrive Monday in Washington to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence from British rule.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rebel
Adjective
In December 2024, a rebel offensive led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham swept through the country with stunning speed, toppling the Assad regime that had ruled Syria since 1970.
—Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026
The county has been scarred by endless fighting involving rebel forces.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2026
Noun
In 2025, the timing of the Cannes dress code announcement allowed a few rebels to get around the new rules—from Heidi Klum and her dramatic ruffle train to Bella Hadid, whose daring split dress also flirted with the limits imposed by Cannes protocol.
—Blanche Marcel, Vanity Fair, 12 May 2026
The rebels’ final push to victory would take them right past the front door of Cardenas’ three-quarter-acre hacienda.
—Ed Guzman, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026
Verb
Irish nationalists had rebelled against British rule for hundreds of years, but revolution started to become more palatable to the larger public during World War I, according to Sean Farrell, a history professor at Northern Illinois University and 19th century Irish historian.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
More than two centuries after the 13 colonies rebelled against King George III and sent his redcoats packing, a direct descendant of that monarch will arrive Monday in Washington to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence from British rule.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rebel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebel
Adjective
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That would be a massive threat to the hegemony established by the film, especially for people at their most curious, rebellious age.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
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And what could be more rebellious than sending a roomful of serious cinephiles screaming for the exits?—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Noun
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Many advanced states understand the need for some kind of violent reaction to terrorists or insurgents, usually as a task for special-operations forces.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
11 May 2026
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Both political insurgents were elected under extraordinary circumstances.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Verb
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Seeing this as a clear violation of their privacy, employees immediately revolted.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
13 May 2026
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Local residents are revolting against a $100 billion Utah data center project backed by Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary that would use more electricity than the entire state does in a year.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
11 May 2026
Adjective
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Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s defiant bid to face down a rebellion left his future in the balance Wednesday, but that wasn’t going to stop the United Kingdom playing dress-up for the ceremonial State Opening of Parliament.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
13 May 2026
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Plum is braless, her vest open to reveal a shimmery pile of silver chains, her abs on defiant display.—
Jade Chang,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Noun
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Though far from a revolutionary by nature, John was a stickler for law.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
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Several of the world’s leading revolutionaries had spent time in the country.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Verb
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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
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The 16th-century adventurer, who first circumnavigated the globe by sea in 1522, wavers beneath the pressure of his pursuit, ultimately leading his men to mutiny and madness on the Malay Archipelago.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
18 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rebel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebel. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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