1
as in rotation
a rapid turning about on an axis or central point revved the engine to 3000 revolutions per minute

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in revolt
open fighting against authority (as one's own government) the revolution by which the American colonies gained their independence from Great Britain necessitated going up against the world's most powerful army

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun revolution differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of revolution are insurrection, mutiny, rebellion, revolt, and uprising. While all these words mean "an outbreak against authority," revolution applies to a successful rebellion resulting in a major change (as in government).

a political revolution that toppled the monarchy

When is mutiny a more appropriate choice than revolution?

Although the words mutiny and revolution have much in common, mutiny applies to group insubordination or insurrection especially against naval authority.

a mutiny led by the ship's cook

When would rebellion be a good substitute for revolution?

The meanings of rebellion and revolution largely overlap; however, rebellion implies an open formidable resistance that is often unsuccessful.

open rebellion against the officers

How are the words revolt and insurrection related as synonyms of revolution?

Both 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 could uprising be used to replace revolution?

The words uprising and revolution are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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 revolution The Soviet Union launched the first satellite but crushed its nascent internet revolution, fearing the openness that innovation demands. Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025 There has only been one previous time when Iran went through a process of naming a new supreme leader — in 1989, when Khamenei was chosen to succeed Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the towering figurehead behind the 1979 Islamic revolution. Jackie Northam, NPR, 9 July 2025 If Bezos’ $240 billion is 2.2% of the social value of Amazon’s revolution in retailing, then Bezos must have created $11 trillion in wealth for the rest of us. Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2025 Or perhaps some traditions, such as pizza-making, are not yet ready for a robotic revolution. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for revolution
Recent Examples of Synonyms for revolution
Noun
  • So my challenge to him was, well break into the rotation and make that Hall of Fame coach earn your trust.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 14 July 2025
  • Both are now in the rotation at low Single-A Lake Elsinore.
    Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 July 2025
Noun
  • The succession of scandals crescendoes to cause internal revolt.
    Max Goldbart, Deadline, 4 July 2025
  • During the English Civil War in 1642, the medieval crown jewels were destroyed as a symbol of revolt against the monarchy.
    Madison Dapcevich, Discover Magazine, 30 June 2025
Noun
  • The intrigue of what might be beyond the curve or around the corner takes the mind away from the size of the space and focuses it on the content of the garden.
    Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 July 2025
  • Doing tight curves, trying to muscle the craft with your legs and arms, and protecting your tush through big waves with your legs as shock absorbers does take effort.
    Jeremy Korzeniewski, Robb Report, 12 July 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
Noun
  • To that end, visitors can take a spin in high-tech driving simulators, while an immersive video showcases the pageantry leading up to the big race’s start.
    AFAR Media, AFAR Media, 14 July 2025
  • The Banana Cloud is like your favorite barbecue joint’s banana pudding—but better—and the The Old Farmer’s Almanac puts a new spin on the classic apple pie with top and bottom crusts made from cinnamon rolls.
    Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 13 July 2025
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
Noun
  • The final season picks up right where season 2 left off, with the deadly games resuming after Seong Gi-hun’s failed rebellion and Hwang Jun-ho continuing his search for the elusive island.
    Regina Kim, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
  • Luckily, the late ’70s and the early ’80s helped reframe that perception, loosening the bounds of traditional beauty standards amid the era of punk rebellion.
    Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 30 June 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

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Cite this Entry

“Revolution.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/revolution. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

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