as in insurgents
a person who rises up against authority
the rebel would not submit peacefully, even after he was captured
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in revolts
to rise up against established authority
the colonists rebelled in the wake of an onslaught of abuses
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of rebels
CBS News, 22 June 2026
That’s partly because eastern Congo is also battling ongoing violence from rebels.
—Constant Same Bagalwa, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026
The election is viewed as a test of Colombia’s fragile democracy a decade after its landmark peace deal with FARC rebels.
—Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2026
In the jungles of southern Colombia, rebels turned in so many automatic rifles, pistols and bandoliers of bullets that one of the tables holding them collapsed in the mud.
—John Otis, NPR, 21 June 2026
Fighting between the Fano armed group and the federal government in Amhara, and the Oromo Liberation Army rebels in Oromia, has been the main cause of instability as the government seeks to disarm the groups.
—ABC News, 21 June 2026
As grim as The Handmaid’s Tale could often be, its six-season story was ultimately about June and her fellow rebels resisting Gilead’s tyranny and fighting back against oppression.
—Louis Peitzman, Entertainment Weekly, 21 June 2026
The celebratory tours take visitors through the city's historic brick roads and along the bayfront, uncovering colonial stories of East Florida's loyalty to the British, imprisoned founding fathers and patriot rebels.
—Amy Galo, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2026
Norm is one of Vault 33’s few skeptics or rebels.
—The Deadline Team, Deadline, 10 June 2026
Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
Set against the backdrop of the 1998 São Paulo World Cup between Brazil and France, Amarela follows 14-year-old Erika Oguihara (Melissa Uehara), a Japanese Brazilian sports fanatic who rebels against her family’s more Japanese cultural traditions.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 10 Jan. 2026
As the professor navigates retirement, the baby grows into a rambunctious child who rebels against the traditions of her fishing community.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
That's partly because eastern Congo is also battling ongoing violence from rebels.
—CBS News, 22 June 2026
That’s partly because eastern Congo is also battling ongoing violence from rebels.
—Constant Same Bagalwa, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026
The election is viewed as a test of Colombia’s fragile democracy a decade after its landmark peace deal with FARC rebels.
—Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2026
In the jungles of southern Colombia, rebels turned in so many automatic rifles, pistols and bandoliers of bullets that one of the tables holding them collapsed in the mud.
—John Otis, NPR, 21 June 2026
Fighting between the Fano armed group and the federal government in Amhara, and the Oromo Liberation Army rebels in Oromia, has been the main cause of instability as the government seeks to disarm the groups.
—ABC News, 21 June 2026
As grim as The Handmaid’s Tale could often be, its six-season story was ultimately about June and her fellow rebels resisting Gilead’s tyranny and fighting back against oppression.
—Louis Peitzman, Entertainment Weekly, 21 June 2026
The celebratory tours take visitors through the city's historic brick roads and along the bayfront, uncovering colonial stories of East Florida's loyalty to the British, imprisoned founding fathers and patriot rebels.
—Amy Galo, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2026
Norm is one of Vault 33’s few skeptics or rebels.
—The Deadline Team, Deadline, 10 June 2026
Verb
Masahiro Motoki — the Oscar-winning star of Departures — plays a lord who rebels against warlord Oda Nobunaga and barricades himself inside Arioka Castle, only to face a string of unsolved murders within its walls.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
Set against the backdrop of the 1998 São Paulo World Cup between Brazil and France, Amarela follows 14-year-old Erika Oguihara (Melissa Uehara), a Japanese Brazilian sports fanatic who rebels against her family’s more Japanese cultural traditions.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 10 Jan. 2026
As the professor navigates retirement, the baby grows into a rambunctious child who rebels against the traditions of her fishing community.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebels
Noun
-
In 2022, French forces departed Mali as insurgents made incursions into the capital, Bamako.—
Kaitlyn Rabe,
The Conversation,
16 June 2026
-
The insurgents become known as the Osos (Bears).—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
Some imagery on the shirt, depicting Haitian revolutionaries from the early 1800s, was declared political and therefore not allowed, having fallen foul of FIFA’s often quite stringent rules around kits at World Cups.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
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Both then and now, targeting revolutionaries like Dessalines has supported that goal.—
Julia Gaffield,
The Conversation,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rebels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebels. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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