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
Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
Cases have also been reported in two other eastern provinces, North Kivu and South Kivu, where the M23 rebels are in control, and also in the neighboring country of Uganda.
—Gerald Imray, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026
Cases have also been reported in two other eastern provinces, North Kivu and South Kivu, where the M23 rebels are in control, and also in the neighboring country of Uganda.
—ABC News, 24 May 2026
Thomas Hobbes took a very dim view of rebels and insurrectionists.
—Austin Sarat, Fortune, 24 May 2026
Puskin was sent into exile by Tsar Alexander I after his poem Ode to Liberty was found among the possessions of the rebels of the Decemberist uprising.
—Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
Over the past quarter-century, the UKMTO has dealt with other shipping crises too, as when Somali pirates were most active during the late 2000s or Houthi rebels in Yemen intensified their attacks on vessels passing through the Red Sea in 2023.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 17 May 2026
In March, Washington sanctioned Rwanda’s defense forces and several senior officials, accusing them of funding the M23 rebels who have taken over mineral-rich areas of eastern DR Congo.
—Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 15 May 2026
Young Ofelia and her pregnant mother have been brought to live in the countryside, where her brutal stepfather Captain Vidal’s job is to wipe out the remaining rebels camped in the local forest.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 13 May 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
The Halliwells position themselves as rebels disrupting the beauty industry with innovative, microbiome-friendly products, catering to a growing consumer demand for natural and effective solutions.
—Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
Cases have also been reported in two other eastern provinces, North Kivu and South Kivu, where the M23 rebels are in control, and also in the neighboring country of Uganda.
—Gerald Imray, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026
Cases have also been reported in two other eastern provinces, North Kivu and South Kivu, where the M23 rebels are in control, and also in the neighboring country of Uganda.
—ABC News, 24 May 2026
Thomas Hobbes took a very dim view of rebels and insurrectionists.
—Austin Sarat, Fortune, 24 May 2026
Puskin was sent into exile by Tsar Alexander I after his poem Ode to Liberty was found among the possessions of the rebels of the Decemberist uprising.
—Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
Over the past quarter-century, the UKMTO has dealt with other shipping crises too, as when Somali pirates were most active during the late 2000s or Houthi rebels in Yemen intensified their attacks on vessels passing through the Red Sea in 2023.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 17 May 2026
In March, Washington sanctioned Rwanda’s defense forces and several senior officials, accusing them of funding the M23 rebels who have taken over mineral-rich areas of eastern DR Congo.
—Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 15 May 2026
Young Ofelia and her pregnant mother have been brought to live in the countryside, where her brutal stepfather Captain Vidal’s job is to wipe out the remaining rebels camped in the local forest.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 13 May 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
-
The primary race has been described as a potential sleeper for progressive insurgents looking to build on the remarkable long-shot victory of Mayor Mamdani in last year’s race for City Hall.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
26 May 2026
-
The insurgents have frequently targeted security forces, government installations and civilians in the province and elsewhere in the country.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 May 2026
Noun
-
Perpetual identification with revolutionaries isn't great for the nation's political health.—
Evan Gottesman,
Washington Post,
25 May 2026
-
But the revolutionaries lacked know-how, and soon, the operations were struggling.—
Vivian Salama,
The Atlantic,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rebels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebels. Accessed 29 May. 2026.
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