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
Abby Sewell, Fortune, 14 Dec. 2025
Al-Sharaa led the rebel forces that toppled Bashar Assad in December 2024 and was named the country's interim leader in January.
—Arkansas Online, 14 Dec. 2025
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
As regular troops in French service, the British treated them as prisoners of war instead of Jacobite rebels, and eventually repatriated them to France.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 30 Oct. 2025
Alexander Lowie, The Conversation, 29 Dec. 2025
Four moderate House Republicans rebelled against House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday to force a vote on extending key ACA subsidies set to expire at the end of the year.
—Sean Conlon,liz Napolitano, CNBC, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rebel
Adjective
Al-Baba said that Syria’s new authorities had faced shortages in security personnel and had to recruit rapidly after the unexpected success of a rebel offensive last year that intended to capture the northern city of Aleppo but ended up overthrowing the government of former President Bashar Assad.
—Abby Sewell, Fortune, 14 Dec. 2025
Al-Sharaa led the rebel forces that toppled Bashar Assad in December 2024 and was named the country's interim leader in January.
—Arkansas Online, 14 Dec. 2025
Noun
Young Ofelia and her pregnant mother have been brought to live in the countryside, where her brutal stepfather Captain Vidal’s job is to wipe out the remaining rebels camped in the local forest.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
As regular troops in French service, the British treated them as prisoners of war instead of Jacobite rebels, and eventually repatriated them to France.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
These groups are organized to rebel against authority and overthrow government structures.
—Alexander Lowie, The Conversation, 29 Dec. 2025
Four moderate House Republicans rebelled against House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday to force a vote on extending key ACA subsidies set to expire at the end of the year.
—Sean Conlon,liz Napolitano, CNBC, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rebel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebel
Adjective
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Prior to the Emancipation Proclamation, slavery was the law in the rebellious states.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Jan. 2026
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This wretched regime is doomed to be overthrown by the risen populace and rebellious youth.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
1 Jan. 2026
Noun
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While many are now driven primarily by economic interests, a subset retains insurgent, ant-imperialist commitments.—
Rebecca Hanson,
The Conversation,
6 Jan. 2026
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That could mean tightening sanctions on remaining power brokers, expanding strikes against security installations and militias, covertly supporting insurgent factions, and using Maduro’s prospective trial as a global stage on which to delegitimize Chavismo once and for all.—
Robert Muggah,
Fortune,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Will people revolt down the line?—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
4 Jan. 2026
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House conservatives are quietly revolting against Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership style.—
Charlie Hunt,
The Conversation,
26 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Vice President Delcy Rodriguez initially was angry and defiant.—
Arthur I. Cyr,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
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Venezuela’s interim leader, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, has alternated between taking a conciliatory approach towards Washington and striking a defiant tone.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Each robot, remotely operated, clinks glasses and gestures in unison, embodying the camaraderie and hope of the musical’s revolutionaries.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
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Paul’s youth and vigor comes with lots of risk, the work of prior revolutionaries threatened to be set back many years.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In 1841, John Quincy Adams stood before the Supreme Court and defended a group of enslaved captives who mutinied aboard the Spanish slave ship Amistad.—
Time,
Time,
24 Sep. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Rebel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebel. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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