Synonyms of rebellion

rebellion

noun

ri-ˈbel-yən 

1

as in revolt

open fighting against authority (as one's own government)

the rebellion would have failed if not for the aid sent by other countries

Synonyms & Similar Words

• revolt
• insurrection
• uprising
• mutiny
• insurgency
• revolution
• insurgence
• outbreak
• coup
• overthrow
• rising
• treachery
• sedition
• treason
• coup d'état
• subversion
• sabotage
• misprision

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• counterinsurgency
• counterrevolution

2

as in defiance

refusal to obey

the period of rebellion that teenagers typically go through

Synonyms & Similar Words

• defiance
• rebelliousness
• disobedience
• willfulness
• disrespect
• insubordination
• waywardness
• unruliness
• contrariness
• contumacy
• recalcitrance
• rudeness
• intractability
• refractoriness
• frowardness
• balkiness
• civil disobedience
• obstreperousness
• stubbornness
• noncooperation
• insolence
• perversity
• obstinacy
• self-will
• impudence
• inconsiderateness
• tenacity
• peevishness
• impoliteness
• inconsideration
• obduracy
• pigheadedness
• pertinacity
• doggedness
• naughtiness
• impertinence
• mischievousness
• ungraciousness
• tenaciousness
• hardheadedness
• discourteousness
• knavery
• obdurateness
• mulishness
• obstinateness
• pertinaciousness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• obedience
• subordination
• submission
• compliance
• tractability
• subservience
• amiability
• submissiveness
• amenability
• subserviency
• agreeability
• slavishness
• tractableness
• subordinateness
• deference
• docility
• trainability
• dutifulness

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun rebellion differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of rebellion are insurrection, mutiny, revolt, revolution, and uprising. While all these words mean "an outbreak against authority," rebellion implies an open formidable resistance that is often unsuccessful.

open rebellion against the officers

Where would mutiny be a reasonable alternative to rebellion?

The words mutiny and rebellion can be used in similar contexts, but mutiny applies to group insubordination or insurrection especially against naval authority.

a mutiny led by the ship's cook

How do revolt and insurrection relate to one another, in the sense of rebellion?

Both revolt and insurrection imply an armed uprising that quickly fails or succeeds.

a revolt by the Young Turks that surprised party leaders

an insurrection of oppressed laborers

When might revolution be a better fit than rebellion?

The words revolution and rebellion are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, revolution applies to a successful rebellion resulting in a major change (as in government).

a political revolution that toppled the monarchy

In what contexts can uprising take the place of rebellion?

While in some cases nearly identical to rebellion, uprising implies a brief, limited, and often immediately ineffective rebellion.

quickly put down the uprising

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of rebellion

Her little acts of rebellion towards her tyrannical teachers attract the admiration of three other misfits and the four girls form an inseparable group. — Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026

Meanwhile, Yudkowsky took such tropes of rebellion and rule-breaking and built a philosophical apparatus around them. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2026

The Uprising’s final act does get unwieldy, as the director tries to show just how the rebellion was betrayed. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026

Exactly what Hidalgo said has been lost to history, but his message was strong enough to ignite a rebellion. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026