rebellion

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rebellion But Newsom’s lawyers said that the administration’s definition of a rebellion was far too broad and would allow the federal government to step in any time someone refused an order or disagreed with a policy supported by the president. Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 18 June 2025 Polarization, for example, could intensify the armed rebellions against New Delhi that have long been underway, creating opportunities for outside powers to sow chaos within India’s borders. Ashley J. Tellis, Foreign Affairs, 17 June 2025 In the years that follow, Bix struggles with substance abuse and with her own role in the rebellion, even as Cassian grows stronger in his. Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 16 June 2025 The light pink Rose Blossoming Set gives me a sense of femininity and calmness while the black Serpent dress gives me a feeling of rebellion and power. Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for rebellion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebellion
Noun
  • The revolt by a large number of Labour MPs against benefit cuts imposed by Keir Starmer is an example.
    Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
  • Rumors of connections between Saint Domingue and slave resistance abounded in Virginia after 1793 and shaped how whites understood Gabriel’s revolt in Richmond in 1800.
    Time, Time, 9 June 2025
Noun
  • Four years later, an America-first cultural crackdown has freed the Met to cast off the hair shirt of reckoning and celebrate its diverse holdings in a spirit of defiance.
    Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
  • Small acts of defiance are happening in real life, too.
    Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Noun
  • Those dismissed include two attorneys who worked as supervisors overseeing the Jan. 6 prosecutions in the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington as well as a line attorney who prosecuted cases stemming from the Capitol riot and insurrection, the people said.
    Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025
  • Once the security forces started killing and torturing enough protesters, the demonstrations, which did spiral into insurrections in 2017 and 2019, petered out.
    ERIC EDELMAN, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • In the decades after the Tibetan uprising in 1959, tens of thousands of Tibetans braved frostbite and Himalayan avalanches to live in the proximity of the 14th Dalai Lama.
    Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 2 July 2025
  • The Gulf Arabs financed the counter-revolution against the popular Arab uprisings and worked to counter the influence of a stronger Iran.
    Dina Esfandiary, Time, 1 July 2025
Noun
  • Along the way, the exhausting voyage involved various mutinies and crew deaths, and upon reaching the islands of the Malayan Archipelago, Magellan’s mind and ambitions changed.
    Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 18 May 2025
  • But the mutiny underscored for Putin that the country’s current business leaders and high-level bureaucrats cannot be relied on at moments of regime crisis.
    ANDREI YAKOVLEV, Foreign Affairs, 16 May 2025
Noun
  • Misbehaviors tagged as disobedience affect Black students disproportionately and are the justification in a third of all suspension and expulsions.
    Meredith Kolodner, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
  • Will the Ruska Roma turn on one of its own for disobedience?
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 10 June 2025
Noun
  • Despite the disrespect, the Packers' head coach is simply focused on winning.
    Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
  • In a sit-down interview, Goldberg said the amount of disrespect Gunther had for Goldberg was unreal.
    Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rebellion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebellion. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on rebellion

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!