REVOLUTION Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

revolution

noun

ˌre-və-ˈlü-shən

Definition of revolution

as in rotation

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

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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

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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 In 2015, a tweet, #OscarsSoWhite, started another membership revolution. — ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026 Hollywood was booming, with construction almost complete on Netflix’s sprawling Sunset Boulevard headquarters, which would become the hub for the streaming revolution. — Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 The following summer, however, the revolution arrived for real. — Taran Dugal, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026 The Iranian diaspora spans multiple generations and waves of exile, from those who left after the 1979 revolution to more recent arrivals who fled crackdowns and protest movements. — Julia Vargas Jones, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for revolution

Recent Examples of Synonyms for revolution

Noun

But on Tuesday, left-hander Eric Lauer returned to the rotation and coughed up seven runs in three innings.

— Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman made clear this week that Dunnigan is ready to help and will be in the rotation at safety.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of rotation

Noun

Not since voters passed Proposition 13, an iconic property tax limit, in 1978 and touched off tax revolts in other states has a California measure potentially affected America’s taxation policies so broadly.

— Dan Walters, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026
After years of requesting simpler access to the life-saving therapy – and partially getting it during the pandemic, without negative consequences – many in that world were in full revolt.

— Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of revolt

Noun

Treasury yields moved lower across the curve on Thursday, as traders look ahead to key services and jobs data for more insights into the domestic economic picture following a sharp sell-off in global bond markets.

— Hugh Leask, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
Here was this fit, so daring and so specific, that clung to the curves of our legs like cellophane.

— Jane Herman, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of curve

Noun

Udas is among a wave of reform-minded politicians who came to the fore after a popular and violent Gen Z uprising last year toppled the country’s political establishment.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
One of the things that was mentioned early on was a change in the regime there, an uprising by the Iranian people against this Islamic theocracy, which has long had control.

— Dana Taylor, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of uprising

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

Noun

We’ve been told that Juliette is a once-in-a-generation leader, capable of pushing a rebellion further than it’s ever gone before.

— Noel Murray, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
So using a Mexican bean in a staple of Italian home cooking was surprising, almost like an act of rebellion.

— Margy Rochlin, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of rebellion

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“Revolution.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/revolution. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of revolution

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