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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of rebels
John Blake, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
Following the events of A Palace Near the Wind, Liu Lufeng and her siblings flee the Palace for the dangerous waters, which contain rebels, allies, and her sister Sangshu—though Sangshu’s conflicting loyalties may clash with Lufeng’s plan to keep them all safe.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
An Iranian missile struck a fuel-oil tanker in Qatari waters Wednesday morning, while Houthi rebels launched a third barrage of missiles toward Israel.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026
The regime’s allies, Houthi rebels in Yemen, launched at least two missiles toward Israel over the weekend.
—Nancy A. Youssef, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2026
Conflict has broken out in the country since 2013 after mostly Muslim rebels seized power and forced then President François Bozizé to quit.
—ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
As the decade wore on, though, my parents grew up—as happens to young rebels—and my mother, unexpectedly, started thinking about having kids.
—Zayd Ayers Dohrn, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026
Ai, a Chinese Vietnamese American filmmaker and writer, focuses on rebels and outsiders of mainstream culture.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 20 Mar. 2026
Some across the region were recently briefed on the possibility that Houthi rebels based in Yemen could enter the fray, should Tehran order the militant group to attack in the Red Sea, the person said.
—Andrea Mitchell, NBC news, 19 Mar. 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
It was reserved only for slaves, criminals and political rebels.
—John Blake, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
Following the events of A Palace Near the Wind, Liu Lufeng and her siblings flee the Palace for the dangerous waters, which contain rebels, allies, and her sister Sangshu—though Sangshu’s conflicting loyalties may clash with Lufeng’s plan to keep them all safe.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
An Iranian missile struck a fuel-oil tanker in Qatari waters Wednesday morning, while Houthi rebels launched a third barrage of missiles toward Israel.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026
The regime’s allies, Houthi rebels in Yemen, launched at least two missiles toward Israel over the weekend.
—Nancy A. Youssef, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2026
Conflict has broken out in the country since 2013 after mostly Muslim rebels seized power and forced then President François Bozizé to quit.
—ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
As the decade wore on, though, my parents grew up—as happens to young rebels—and my mother, unexpectedly, started thinking about having kids.
—Zayd Ayers Dohrn, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026
Ai, a Chinese Vietnamese American filmmaker and writer, focuses on rebels and outsiders of mainstream culture.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 20 Mar. 2026
Some across the region were recently briefed on the possibility that Houthi rebels based in Yemen could enter the fray, should Tehran order the militant group to attack in the Red Sea, the person said.
—Andrea Mitchell, NBC news, 19 Mar. 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
-
To Alfredo De Avila, of the Oakland Center for Third World Organizing, the UFW’s claims that Communist insurgents are plotting against Chavez and his union highlight how far the UFW has fallen.—
Marcos Breton,
Sacbee.com,
24 Mar. 2026
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Bakri is more brittle in Farah Nabulsi’s The Teacher as Basem, a Palestinian teacher in the West Bank whose support for insurgents grows after his own son dies in prison and as Israeli settlers brutalize his neighborhood.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
These works follow aging revolutionaries who have given up the fight after being forced into hiding or choosing to raise a family; some have simply grown tired of the struggle.—
Boris Kachka,
The Atlantic,
3 Apr. 2026
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The idea that one generation could not determine the political future of the next was precisely what many revolutionaries, despite their internal differences, had fought against.—
Roxane Razavi,
The Conversation,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rebels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebels. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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