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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in resister
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of recusant
Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, 15 July 2019
Adjective
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
-
Do something semi-rebellious in honor of Lane Kim Like dyeing your hair or joining a band!—
Andrea Wurzburger,
PEOPLE,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Kimmel is once again on the air throughout the country now that rebellious affiliate owners Nexstar and Sinclair have backed down and agreed to resume airing his ABC late-night show after a weeklong standoff.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Newsom got another fix of national media attention to bolster his image as resister-in-chief to the commander-in-chief, in apparent preparation for a 2028 presidential campaign.—
Dan Walters,
Oc Register,
23 Sep. 2025
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The answer is that France at this time was attempting to heal its wartime wounds, papering over the cracks in the social fabric that had opened up during the German Occupation and positioning itself as a nation of resisters, in which collaborators had been few and aberrant.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
30 July 2025
Adjective
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Aside from games like volleyball and dominoes, Gach says some children stage fake ambushes on one another while pretending to be government forces or rebel fighters.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
5 Oct. 2025
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The Security Council has been monitoring a 2016 peace accord between the government and what was then the largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, at the government's request.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Though the song order is Easter egg intentional – as with everything Swift – it’s bookended by a declaration of romantic salvation and a narrative from the perspective of a weary, yet defiant showgirl.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
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Polis has sought to avoid public fights with the federal government over immigration, unlike his more publicly defiant counterparts in Illinois and California.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Few among the bureaucratic, business, and even military elites denounced the mutineers, exposing limited support for Putin.—
ANDREI YAKOVLEV,
Foreign Affairs,
16 May 2025
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He’s been with them since the beginning, proving himself as a loyal friend and a valuable mutineer.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The three, from Southern California, were arrested and booked into Mono County Jail on suspicion of willful discharge of a firearm in a grossly negligent manner, a felony.—
Bay Area News Group,
Mercury News,
29 Sep. 2025
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Miller was charged with domestic abuse assault, willful injury and kidnapping, according to the sheriff.—
Mike Stunson,
Kansas City Star,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Sora 2 is an AI video generator, a TikTok challenger, and a social network all in one.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
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Primary challengers enter the fray The backlash against Cunningham’s votes and comments extends into the upcoming 2026 election cycle.—
Mary Ramsey
October 3,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Deporting supposed gang members and Hamas supporters without due process may violate any number of statutes, but forcing oppositionists to defend these people’s rights allows the administration to paint them as defending their ideas.—
Garry Kasparov,
The Atlantic,
17 Apr. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Recusant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recusant. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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