rebellious

1 taking part in a rebellion the rebellious troops fought a pitched battle with divisions still loyal to the government Synonyms insurgent, insurrectionary, mutinous, revolutionary Related Words seditious, traitorous, treacherous, treasonous; agitating, demagogic, rabble-rousing; defiant, disobedient, insubordinate, intractable, recalcitrant, refractory, restive, ungovernable, unruly Near Antonyms constant, devoted, loyal, staunch (also stanch), steadfast, true, true-blue; compliant, obedient, submissive, tractable

2 given to resisting authority or another's control expected her son to grow a little more rebellious as he got older, but she knew he understood when to kick and when to obey Synonyms balky, contrary, contumacious, defiant, froward, incompliant, insubordinate, intractable, obstreperous, rebel, disobedient, recalcitrant, recusant, refractory, restive, ungovernable, unruly, untoward, wayward, willful (or wilful)Related Words noncooperative, uncooperative; insurgent, mutinous; adamant, adamantine, dogged, hardheaded, headstrong, immovable, implacable, inflexible, mulish, negativistic, obdurate, obstinate, opinionated, peevish, pertinacious, pigheaded, rigid, self-willed, stubborn, unbending, uncompromising, unrelenting, unyielding; fractious, restive, uncontrollable, unmanageable, wild; perverse, resistant, wrongheaded; bad, disorderly, errant, misbehaving, mischievous, monkeying, monkeyish, naughty; undisciplined; dissident, nonconformist; discourteous, disrespectful, ill-bred, ill-mannered, ill-natured, impertinent, impolite, impudent, inconsiderate, insolent, ornery, rude, uncivil, uncouth, ungracious, unmannerlyNear Antonyms acquiescent, agreeable, amiable, cooperative, deferential, obliging; yielding; behaved, disciplined, well-bred; courteous, polite, respectful; kowtowing, obsequious, servile, slavish, subservient; decorous, mannerly, orderly, proper; controllable, governable, manageable, trainableAntonyms amenable, biddable, compliant, conformable, docile, obedient, ruly, submissive, tractable