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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

recusant

2 of 2

noun

as in resister

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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

Crafted with a classic fit, the leather jacket added unexpected tensions to Watts’s Q&A attire, a contrasting piece that incorporated a rebellious and youthful energy.

— Julia Teti, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026
The duo leaned all the way into the era’s punk-rock aesthetic, serving the kind of rebellious, perfectly undone style that practically defined the early aughts.

— Amanda Le, InStyle, 27 Sep. 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

Thousands of demonstrators rallied in Kosovo on Thursday in the biggest nationwide protest yet against recent war crimes convictions for four of its wartime rebel leaders.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
De la Espriella, who was elected in June, has suspended talks with rebel groups and has taken an iron-fist approach to crime.

— CBS News, CBS News, 28 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 song sets the tone for an album that the pair describe as both hopeful and defiant, with songs addressing love, loss and injustice.

— SPIN Staff, SPIN, 28 Sep. 2026
This was especially defiant as Zegler’s co-star in the Disney film was Gal Gadot, who served in the Israeli army and has continued to voice support for her home country.

— Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of defiant

Noun

But that may not stop incumbent Karen Bass and challenger Nithya Raman from facing questions about Israel’s war in Gaza during a candidate forum co-hosted by Jewish Federation Los Angeles.

— David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Longtime city councilmember Jayna Karpinski-Costa — a veterinarian and attorney who has twice served as the city’s mayor — seeks another term on Citrus Heights’ city council, but faces a challenger for the 4th District seat.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 29 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

They’re seen as oligarchs, as the people with wealth and power, controlling our lives—not as outsider insurgents.

— Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
Others look further back to early and sporadic insurgent activity in 1964, before the UDI, or to 1965, the year of the UDI (November 11) itself.

— Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of insurgent

Browse Nearby Words

recusancy

recusant

recusants

See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

Style

“Recusant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recusant. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of recusant

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on recusant

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

discreet

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes