revolt 1 of 2

as in insurrection
open fighting against authority (as one's own government) soon the revolt had spread to every corner of the country

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

revolt

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun revolt differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of revolt are insurrection, mutiny, rebellion, revolution, and uprising. While all these words mean "an outbreak against authority," revolt and insurrection imply an armed uprising that quickly fails or succeeds.

a revolt by the Young Turks that surprised party leaders
an insurrection of oppressed laborers

When is it sensible to use mutiny instead of revolt?

The meanings of mutiny and revolt largely overlap; however, mutiny applies to group insubordination or insurrection especially against naval authority.

a mutiny led by the ship's cook

When could rebellion be used to replace revolt?

While in some cases nearly identical to revolt, rebellion implies an open formidable resistance that is often unsuccessful.

open rebellion against the officers

When can revolution be used instead of revolt?

Although the words revolution and revolt have much in common, revolution applies to a successful rebellion resulting in a major change (as in government).

a political revolution that toppled the monarchy

When might uprising be a better fit than revolt?

The synonyms uprising and revolt are sometimes interchangeable, but uprising implies a brief, limited, and often immediately ineffective rebellion.

quickly put down the uprising

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 revolt
Noun
In 1811, a slave revolt, believed to be one of the largest in the country’s history, started at the plantation. Bracey Harris, NBC news, 25 May 2025 In an early sign of trouble for House Republicans, a number of GOP senators are already rejecting parts of the lower chamber’s bill — an indication that the package could return to the House in an entirely different form, which would likely spark a revolt from one wing or another. Mike Lillis, The Hill, 24 May 2025
Verb
In his speech, Ezra Levin, co-executive director of Indivisible, noted that the U.S. flag was initially a symbol of defiance as the colonies revolted against King George. Ted Johnson, Deadline, 14 June 2025 But business leaders and housing activists revolted. Time, 12 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for revolt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for revolt
Noun
  • Those dismissed include two attorneys who worked as supervisors overseeing the Jan. 6 prosecutions in the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington as well as a line attorney who prosecuted cases stemming from the Capitol riot and insurrection, the people said.
    Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025
  • Once the security forces started killing and torturing enough protesters, the demonstrations, which did spiral into insurrections in 2017 and 2019, petered out.
    ERIC EDELMAN, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • Now people bothered by the insects have another reason to be disgusted by them.
    Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
  • The judge, though disgusted at her antics, still stands firm in his decision to give the prosecution access to those records because the reports about the divorce are still accessible to the jury.
    Ayan Artan, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Wait, there’s a both-sides approach to the company and the workers rebelling against it?
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 June 2025
  • Newsweek Contributors Debate For decades, Iranians have organized, protested, and rebelled for greater freedom.
    Nuri Kino, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • In the decades after the Tibetan uprising in 1959, tens of thousands of Tibetans braved frostbite and Himalayan avalanches to live in the proximity of the 14th Dalai Lama.
    Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 2 July 2025
  • The Gulf Arabs financed the counter-revolution against the popular Arab uprisings and worked to counter the influence of a stronger Iran.
    Dina Esfandiary, Time, 1 July 2025
Verb
  • After a disastrous trip to Mexico where Irina appeared repulsed by everything Zack did, the couple split and Zack went crawling back to Bliss.
    Randall Colburn, EW.com, 13 June 2025
  • Clearly repulsed by the ravages of war, Lear kept the girl a secret, presumably went AWOL, and created new identities for them.
    Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 13 May 2025
Noun
  • Along the way, the exhausting voyage involved various mutinies and crew deaths, and upon reaching the islands of the Malayan Archipelago, Magellan’s mind and ambitions changed.
    Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 18 May 2025
  • But the mutiny underscored for Putin that the country’s current business leaders and high-level bureaucrats cannot be relied on at moments of regime crisis.
    ANDREI YAKOVLEV, Foreign Affairs, 16 May 2025
Verb
  • Cucumbers are being recalled nationwide after a salmonella outbreak sickened 26 people and hospitalized nine across 15 states, including Tennessee.
    Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
  • So far, people in two states have reported being sickened from the product, according to the FDA and the CDA. Minnesota (three people) New Jersey (one person) What pistachio cream is being recalled?
    Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 18 June 2025
Noun
  • The third season opens in the wake of the deadly rebellion depicted in the Season 2 finale, which left Jung-Bae and many of Gi-hun’s allies dead.
    Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
  • Still, youthful rebellion in virtual reality looks great and the concept of online escapes resonates in an increasingly intense real world.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 20 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Revolt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/revolt. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.

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