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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Example Sentences

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

Twenty-nine years have passed since then, yet the memory of the princess—an empathetic woman who defied convention, vulnerable yet rebellious, and imbued with a profound humanity—remains vivid and very much alive in the eyes of the entire world.

— Laura Scafati, Vanity Fair, 31 Aug. 2026
Next month, broader audiences will discover Halkias’s rebellious brand of humor with Uncle Stav, his latest Netflix standup special, a follow-up to 2023’s Fat Rascal.

— Jonathan Borge, InStyle, 27 Aug. 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

The Ebola outbreak is spreading across six provinces in eastern Congo in some of the most difficult conditions imaginable, fueled by rebel violence, displacement and intense population movements.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026
Its interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former al-Qa’eda militant who led the rebel offensive that overthrew dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, has been struggling to rebuild a nation devastated by almost 14 years of civil war.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 6 Sep. 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

The attack on Sais, a Sacramento City Hall employee and liaison to City Councilmember Eric Guerra, colored an otherwise joyous and defiant Rainbow Festival this weekend in the midtown neighborhood.

— Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Swinney has remained defiant that his style will work out in the end.

— Chris Vannini, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of defiant

Noun

In 1983, the 12m yacht Azzurra — flying the YCCS burgee — represented Italy for the first time in the long history of the America’s Cup, the oldest sports trophy in international sport, finishing third in the challenger series at its first attempt.

— Andrew Rice, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Anta Kids, meanwhile, has become a formidable challenger, having crossed 10 billion yuan in annual gross merchandise volume by the end of 2024 and continuing to record high-single-digit offline growth into the first quarter of this year.

— Li Jun, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 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

The festival was an impressive feat of planning and production, an execution of vision that may or may not translate into alternative, insurgent thought or actions.

— Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026
The insecurity landscape is also more chaotic because some groups, after initially being invited to help defend against insurgents, turned into terrorists, said Dengiyefa Angalapu, an analyst at the Center for Democracy and Development in Abuja.

— Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of insurgent

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“Recusant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recusant. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of recusant

adjective

noun

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