revolt 1 of 2

Definition of revoltnext
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

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
The fears of robot uprising, from his perspective, are essentially the fears of slave revolt, of the working class seizing the means of production. Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 8 Apr. 2026 As a history of the Arab revolt, Seven Pillars of Wisdom is sometimes lacking in accuracy; as an intimate memoir, however, the text is a classic. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
House Republicans are scrambling to find the votes for a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security, as conservatives threaten to revolt over the exclusion of funding for deportations and re-up demands that the SAVE America Act be attached. Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 27 Mar. 2026 An end to the partial government shutdown looked to be on the horizon early Friday, March 27, until Republican leaders in the House of Representatives revolted that afternoon, coming out against a deal to end the six-week-long funding crisis at the Department of Homeland Security. Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for revolt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for revolt
Noun
  • In 2021, she was profiled by multiple magazines for painting the January 6 insurrection.
    Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 11 Apr. 2026
  • Facing insurrection charges, Kimbangu was sentenced to death.
    Rodney Muhumuza, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Polling shows people disgusted with the political status quo.
    Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2026
  • No police necessity can explain their excessive use of force, which has shocked and disgusted fair-minded people across the political spectrum.
    Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Republicans themselves remain divided over how to proceed, with some hard-right lawmakers already rebelling against the shutdown deal.
    Nik Popli, Time, 7 Apr. 2026
  • The citizens of Iran can’t rebel without bridges and electricity.
    Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 7 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • War could spread beyond Sudan The conflict exploded from a power struggle that emerged following Sudan’s transition to democracy after an uprising forced the military ouster of longtime autocratic President Omar Bashir in April 2019.
    Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
  • The conflict exploded from a power struggle that emerged following Sudan’s transition to democracy after an uprising forced the military ouster of longtime autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.
    ABC News, ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • In the mid-19th century, Kasanje was able to repulse a Portuguese military expedition.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Sigmund Freud believed that every crush has a strand of disgust, that people are attracted to what repulses them.
    Daniel Felsenthal, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The ur-mutiny, encompassing some of these, provoking and provoked by others, is MAGA.
    George Packer, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
  • That mobility occasionally allowed for communication and coordination during mutinies.
    Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Sugar water can spoil, sickening the little birds.
    Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2026
  • People all over the globe were in disbelief that a man could perpetuate a campaign of drugging and raping his wife without her knowledge, and even more sickened that dozens of men joined him in his crimes.
    Glamour, Glamour, 1 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The memoirs are valued above all for their candor, though Jahangir chose to avoid writing about his earlier rebellion against his father, Akbar.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Many of the stories in the book are tragic Icarus narratives, featuring acts of rebellion that succeed in one brief ecstatic burst, and then resoundingly fail.
    Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Revolt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/revolt. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.

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