Synonyms of rebels

rebels 1 of 2

noun

plural of rebel

as in insurgents

a person who rises up against authority

the rebel would not submit peacefully, even after he was captured

Synonyms & Similar Words

• insurgents
• revolutionaries
• revolters
• mutineers
• insurrectionists
• revolutionists
• challengers
• anarchists
• reds
• resisters
• oppositionists
• insurrectionaries
• radicals
• discontents
• extremists
• resistants
• recusants
• refusers
• defiers
• anarchs
• insubordinates
• malcontents

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• loyalists
• patriots
• supporters
• counterrevolutionaries
• counterinsurgents
• counterrevolutionists

rebels

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of rebel

as in revolts

to rise up against established authority

the colonists rebelled in the wake of an onslaught of abuses

Synonyms & Similar Words

• revolts
• mutinies
• resists
• fights
• kicks over the traces
• mocks
• disobeys
• opposes
• contests
• combats
• defies
• revolutionizes
• withstands
• bucks

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• minds
• follows
• submits
• obeys
• complies (with)
• serves
• attends

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of rebels

Noun

Ethiopian Airlines had suspended flights to Mekelle and the Tigrayan cities of Axum and Shire after the rebels seized the airport. — Rodney Muhumuza, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026

While the British prevailed over the rebels, the uprising laid the foundations for African nationalism. — Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026

Today, the challenges facing the continent include a humanitarian crisis in South Sudan, a spate of kidnappings and killings in Nigeria, and conflict between rebels and government forces in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. — Goodluck Ajeh, Christian Science Monitor, 25 Sep. 2026

The charges stemmed from fighting more than a decade ago between the predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels who seized power from then-President François Bozizé, and a mainly Christian militia called the anti-Balaka. — Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026

In the south, an array of militias and armed groups arose over the years, ostensibly to back the government against the rebels. — ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026

This means that the junta not only has an eye on rebels in the country, but also on those who have fled. — Andrew Nachemson, The Dial, 22 Sep. 2026

All of these rebels form part of the rich and complex human comedy that Jean-Pierre Laffont has compiled over half a century in America. — Lucy Sante, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026

The State Department issued a caution warning to Americans in the Middle East on Saturday night after Houthi rebels in Yemen launched a ballistic missile at an airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital. — Carter Schroppe, The Washington Examiner, 20 Sep. 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