as in rebellion
refusal to obey
her habitual rebelliousness eventually landed her in the principal's office
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Recent Examples of rebelliousness
The natural obstinacy and rebelliousness of Israa’s teenage years are hyperaccelerated by culture clashes with both her family and the other kids around her.
—
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2026
This transit stokes your sense of independence and even rebelliousness, inspiring you to strike out against convention and innovate more than ever.
—Maressa Brown, InStyle, 9 Jan. 2026
At times, Carol’s admirable rebelliousness seems to come at the cost of self-flagellating destruction, a badge of honor to be miserable.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 8 Nov. 2025
The rebelliousness can be witnessed in everything from its ’70s-in-California style to the very naming conventions Mother chooses for its viral products — adored by A-listers like Gigi Hadid, Chrissy Teigen, Millie Bobby Brown, and more.
—Kristina Rutkowski, Footwear News, 22 Sep. 2025
This element of female rebelliousness is very important to me.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2026
This transit stokes your sense of independence and even rebelliousness, inspiring you to strike out against convention and innovate more than ever.
—Maressa Brown, InStyle, 9 Jan. 2026
At times, Carol’s admirable rebelliousness seems to come at the cost of self-flagellating destruction, a badge of honor to be miserable.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 8 Nov. 2025
The rebelliousness can be witnessed in everything from its ’70s-in-California style to the very naming conventions Mother chooses for its viral products — adored by A-listers like Gigi Hadid, Chrissy Teigen, Millie Bobby Brown, and more.
—Kristina Rutkowski, Footwear News, 22 Sep. 2025
This element of female rebelliousness is very important to me.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebelliousness
Noun
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But the rebellion has also spurred a race to the bottom.—
Laura K. Field,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Confederate sympathizers carved up the old design, claiming the red-and-white Crossland pattern to signal rebellion loyalty.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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José Antonio Kast’s decisive victory, driven by anxiety over crime and migration, arrived without overt institutional defiance.—
Alejandro Reyes,
Washington Post,
3 Feb. 2026
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That would include open defiance of a court order.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Though the Durutti Column had been a disaster, Wilson was fascinated by the guitarist, who admired punk’s willfulness even though his own musical taste tended toward jazz, blues, and the classical tradition.—
Brad Shoup,
Pitchfork,
24 Jan. 2026
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The orphan’s predicament is as much a matter of willfulness as of survival—inseparable, as in the works of Charles Dickens, from a dream of being somehow rescued by the idea of an adult world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rebelliousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebelliousness. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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