REVOLT Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

revolt 1 of 2

noun

Definition of revolt

as in insurrection

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

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revolt

2 of 2

verb

ri-ˈvōlt

as in to disgust

to cause to feel disgust the jury appeared to be revolted by the grisly details of the murder

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to rebel

to rise up against established authority the students practically revolted when the school cancelled the championship football game

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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

But the revolt imperiled Infantino, as Europe contemplated replacing him with Nasser Al-Khelaifi, a hugely influential figure in European club soccer. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 30 July 2026 The Chumash rebelled in 1824, the latest in a chain of Native Californian revolts against the friars. — Literary Hub, 29 July 2026

Verb

Instead, mud, water, splintered wood, smoke, skin, and more congeal into the same revolting sensory wavelength for a result that’s occasionally cosmic. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 July 2026 Because of the enormous scale of content that had to be produced nonstop, lest fans revolt against its scarcity, Destiny was only very rarely profitable during its entire lifespan. — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for revolt

Recent Examples of Synonyms for revolt

Noun

As Port falls in with a group of conspirators preparing for the insurrection, the book takes on a hallucinatory, digressive quality, blurring the lines between life and death, reality and illusion.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Stephen Colbert’s award-winning Late Show was canceled in a move that many have labeled political appeasement, and the flagship evening newscast baselessly recast the January 6 insurrection as a partisan squabble.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of insurrection

Verb

In 2017, the Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine went to a team of French researchers who used advanced brain-scanning technology to measure the extent to which some people are disgusted by fromage.

— Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 July 2026
Kim The call left Kim Grindell disgusted, furious and wracked with guilt.

— Rich Schapiro, NBC news, 20 June 2026

Definition of disgust

Verb

When the mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin rebelled against Putin, in 2023, the Wall Street Journal reported that then security council chief Nikolai Patrushev, age 75, orchestrated the plane crash that killed the rebel leader.

— Julian G. Waller, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2026
This story covers the rise of robots rebelling against their masters.

— Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of rebel

Noun

Also sentenced to death in the same case was Assad’s maternal cousin Atef Najib, who was convicted of overseeing a crackdown in the southern province of Daraa that led to the uprising and later the civil war.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
Also sentenced to death in the same case was Assad’s maternal cousin Atef Najib for leading the crackdown in the southern province of Daraa that led to the uprising and later the civil war.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of uprising

Noun

At the start of the summer, Infantino seemed untouchable but there is a mood of mutiny in the air.

— Simon Hughes, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
For years, they have been stuck at sea with their leader, the great warrior king Odysseus (Matt Damon), trying to find a route home to Ithaca; hunger and desperation have spurred his fiery second-in-command, Eurylochus (Himesh Patel), toward mutiny.

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 July 2026

Definition of mutiny

Verb

Michigan health officials say new cases of cyclosporiasis are declining in the state hit hardest by an outbreak that has sickened more than 12,000 people and left two dead in the state since June.

— Lena H. Sun, Washington Post, 7 Aug. 2026
Shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Fresh Foods remains at the center of a separate recall after hundreds were sickened with cyclospora, a parasite known to cause explosive diarrhea.

— Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of sicken

Noun

In several instances these rituals were utilized during slave rebellions; the New York slave rebellion of 1712 reportedly began with a pact sealed in blood and powder, a practice with African religious parallels.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
Freedom matters to you more than keeping up with traditions, which is where your financial savviness comes into play, not to mention rebellion.

— Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of rebellion

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“Revolt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/revolt. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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