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
Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 20 Mar. 2026
As tension erupts between Jewish settlers and Palestinian rebels, the British police and Army enforce an indiscriminate crackdown on Arab villagers, confiscating their land, enforcing curfews, limiting travel, and beating and arresting any who resist.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
After the successful defense of the city, the Portuguese governor extended amnesty to all rebels who surrendered.
—Literary Hub, 19 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
Rwanda frames its role as defensive measures to protect its territory from Hutu rebels responsible for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
—ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026
The choice was hailed by the president of Azerbaijan and the leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebels, among other allies.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Yet plantation records indicate that women helped supply food and clothing to rebels.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
More recently, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have targeted Saudi desalination facilities amid regional tensions.
—Annika Hammerschlag, Fortune, 8 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
Ai, a Chinese Vietnamese American filmmaker and writer, focuses on rebels and outsiders of mainstream culture.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 20 Mar. 2026
As tension erupts between Jewish settlers and Palestinian rebels, the British police and Army enforce an indiscriminate crackdown on Arab villagers, confiscating their land, enforcing curfews, limiting travel, and beating and arresting any who resist.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
After the successful defense of the city, the Portuguese governor extended amnesty to all rebels who surrendered.
—Literary Hub, 19 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
Rwanda frames its role as defensive measures to protect its territory from Hutu rebels responsible for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
—ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026
The choice was hailed by the president of Azerbaijan and the leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebels, among other allies.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Yet plantation records indicate that women helped supply food and clothing to rebels.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
More recently, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have targeted Saudi desalination facilities amid regional tensions.
—Annika Hammerschlag, Fortune, 8 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
-
The organizers were arrested and denounced by authorities as counter-revolutionaries.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Silvia Hernandez is an Orlando resident and the granddaughter of Cuban revolutionaries buried in Miami.—
Silvia Hernandez,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rebels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebels. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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