RECUSANT Synonyms: 141 Similar and Opposite Words

recusant 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of recusant

as in rebellious

given to resisting authority or another's control several recusant senators refused to vote as commanded by the party leadership

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recusant

2 of 2

noun

as in resister

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of recusant

Noun

The uniform of the conformist — sports shirt, cardigan, tennis shoes — is as easily recognized as that of the recusant — dirty white T, sideburns, two days’ growth of beard. — Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, 15 July 2019

Recent Examples of Synonyms for recusant

Adjective

Converse and Vaquera are coming together again with a rebellious spirit.

— Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
In the episode on the 1993 timeline, the team intervenes when a general’s rebellious teen son is targeted by a dangerous former gang member.

— Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of rebellious

Noun

In November 1971, Berkeley, California, became the first sanctuary city in the country when 12 local churches inspired the City Council to pass a resolution offering sanctuary to draft resisters.

— Menika Dirkson, The Conversation, 8 Apr. 2026
Clemson resister Dabo Swinney has driven his program into the ground.

— Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026

Definition of resister

Adjective

Since early 2025, the March 23 Movement, a rebel group, has seized control of large parts of the park, fueling poaching, deforestation and trafficking.

— Elodie Toto, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
Capturing towns and roads would hamper Tigrayan fighters without necessarily securing the vast rural areas where the rebel forces regrouped during the previous war, Taylor said.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of rebel

Noun

Analysts say the clashes at the Base 101 at the Niamey international airport could have gone either way because of the mutineers’ determination and large numbers until the Russian troops stepped in.

— Chinedu Asadu, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
The fate of the mutineers was not immediately clear and authorities did not disclose any charges against them.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of mutineer

Adjective

Angry and defiant, McQueen became a full throttle juvenile delinquent, and his mother sent him to the California Junior Boys Republic in Chino.

— Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026
From men wearing pink to push back against the pressures of toxic masculinity to women pushing back against unrealistic body standards, pink has become a color of defiant empathy.

— Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of defiant

Noun

Matsui, 82, faces progressive challenger and Sacramento Councilmember Mai Vang for the 7th Congressional District, which includes Sacramento’s downtown core, Elk Grove, Placerville and El Dorado Hills.

— Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Republican Ryan Mackenzie will look to defend his seat against Democratic challenger Bob Brooks.

— Dan Snyder, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of challenger

Noun

Yesterday, in an effort to galvanize democratic forces, oppositionists announced the foundation of the Strategic Council of Republicans Inside Iran.

— Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2026
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is a Sunni Islamist umbrella group of oppositionist forces with ideological and organizational roots in al-Qaeda.

— Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024

Definition of oppositionist

Noun

Khalilzad on Friday wrote on X that there had been reports of Pakistan arming Afghans to fight the Taliban inside Afghanistan and of the Pakistani military recruiting Afghans to fight anti-Pakistan insurgents.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
President Emmanuel Macron has been the primary target of scorn following nationwide riots that overtook Paris and other cities, but the insurgent National Rally does not want to let mainstream conservatives off the hook.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of insurgent

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“Recusant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recusant. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of recusant

adjective

noun

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