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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Advertisement The Yellow Vest revolt of 2018 to 2019 was an earlier social explosion of precisely that resentment. — Nicholas Bequelin, Time, 16 Oct. 2026 Or will there be a popular revolt, similar to the backlash that has led local governments to abandon other types of surveillance cameras? — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026

Verb

When OpenAI tried to take the model down, users revolted, forcing the company into briefly reinstating it. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 14 Oct. 2026 Schumer has turned the tables since 2025 Attitudes within the Democratic caucus have improved since last year, when the base revolted against Schumer for the March vote to keep the Republican president’s government open. — Mary Clare Jalonick, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for revolt

Recent Examples of Synonyms for revolt

Noun

Trump spent the day at the White House watching coverage, watching Fox News, trying to give himself an insurrection.

— Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Nov. 2026
By then, graffiti had been scrubbed from the central monument that pays tribute to the French Republic, including its tradition of insurrection.

— Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of insurrection

Verb

Collin, 22 While the show was filming, Collin often rebelled against the production by acting detached rather than performing for the cameras.

— Isabella Albaig, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
While some prisoners tolerated the guards’ abuses, others rebelled, including Clay Ramsay, who Newsweek reports went on a hunger strike.

— Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of rebel

Noun

On March 5, following an uprising against the administration’s mass-deportation effort that culminated in two protesters being killed by ICE agents in Minnesota, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was axed.

— Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 6 Nov. 2026
One—a 1962 uprising in Brunei—had mistakenly been left out of the previous dataset.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of uprising

Noun

That proved too costly for producers, so the decision was made to change the location to a castle, while keeping the idea of a mutiny and rival factions working against each other.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 30 Oct. 2026
In August, Russia’s Africa Corps military contractor helped Niger’s junta quickly defeat a mutiny by a group of young troops in the country’s capital.

— Vladimir Isachenkov, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of mutiny

Verb

The Aliso Canyon gas leak took nearly four months to control, sickened thousands of families and forced them from their homes near the San Fernando Valley to escape a sulfurous stench and maladies including headaches, nausea and nose bleeds.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
The finding also comes on the heels of a record-breaking cyclospora outbreak this summer that sickened 12,883 people across 21 states, hospitalized at least 570 and was associated with two deaths in Michigan.

— Megan R. Wilson, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of sicken

Noun

In Fitzgerald’s heyday, barely-there bobs were a symbol of youth, rebellion, and liberation.

— Molly Mulshine, InStyle, 30 Oct. 2026
As the competition unfolds, Haymitch risks everything to take down the Games from within the arena — setting in motion the rebellion that will change Panem forever.

— Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of rebellion

Cite this Entry

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“Revolt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/revolt. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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