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
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
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In others, the rebellious teenager drinks elsewhere.—
Thomas Lake,
AJC.com,
4 June 2026
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For a distillery known as much for its rebellious personality as its whisky, bringing back a bottle called Yellow Submarine feels pretty on-brand.—
Emily Price,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
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Clemson resister Dabo Swinney has driven his program into the ground.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
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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
Adjective
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Although the country saw a break in violence between rebel groups and the government in the 10 years since the historic agreement between guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) and the government, criminal gang activity is rising.—
Sebastian Jimenez,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
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Attacks in the region by the Allied Democratic Forces, a rebel group allied with the militant organization Islamic State, and a coalition of ethnic militias have also hindered the response.—
Justin Kabumba,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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The great-grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic struck a defiant tone in an interview with CNN on Thursday, saying Iran shouldn’t compromise on its demands to end the war.—
Frederik Pleitgen,
CNN Money,
5 June 2026
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The candidate, wearing Nikes and a suit but no tie — not too buttoned up — struck a defiant tone.—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2026
Noun
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Language purists like to remind anyone who will listen that decimation actually means the slaughter of one in ten people, and was the military punishment wielded by the Roman army against deserters and mutineers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Oct. 2025
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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
Noun
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Republican challenger Steve Hilton trails Becerra by less than one percentage point as ballot counting continues.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
6 June 2026
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This is the first time, to my knowledge, that an incumbent mayor in the City of Angels would be running against a challenger whose campaign manager is God Almighty.—
Steve Lopez,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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In recent weeks, the race for Los Angeles mayor has been dominated by reality star Spencer Pratt, who, following an expectation-exceeding debate performance, has risen in the polls with an insurgent campaign specializing in producing or promoting brash and direct online videos.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
2 June 2026
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Traders on prediction market platform Kalshi think the incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and insurgent former reality TV star Spencer Pratt are most likely to advance to the second round.—
Davis Giangiulio,
CNBC,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Recusant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recusant. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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