as in rebel
a person who thinks that a nation, state, etc., should separate from another and become independent
A growing group of secessionists are pushing for the independence of the region.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of secessionist
According to researchers at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a think tank in Washington, D.C., these secessionist movements have gained support from Russian accounts on social media.
—
Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
The base was originally named for Lt. Gen. Henry Benning, a Confederate general and Southern secessionist who opposed freeing slaves.
—Eleanor Watson, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2025
Monuments to old secessionists and segregationists had fallen across the country.
—Charles King, Foreign Affairs, 18 June 2021
Separately, secessionist movements in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states might return in earnest while the central government is at war with itself.
—Mai Hassan, Foreign Affairs, 1 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for secessionist
Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
The base was originally named for Lt. Gen. Henry Benning, a Confederate general and Southern secessionist who opposed freeing slaves.
—Eleanor Watson, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2025
Monuments to old secessionists and segregationists had fallen across the country.
—Charles King, Foreign Affairs, 18 June 2021
Separately, secessionist movements in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states might return in earnest while the central government is at war with itself.
—Mai Hassan, Foreign Affairs, 1 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for secessionist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for secessionist
Noun
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Set in a crumbling Japanese metropolis rebuilt after a devastating explosion, Akira follows teenage rebels Kaneda and Tetsuo as secret government experiments unleash psychic forces capable of unmaking the world.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
21 May 2025
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In response, the commanders decide to meet in Washington D.C., and Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) finally chooses a side once and for all and gives up their plan to June (Elisabeth Moss) and the fellow rebels.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
20 May 2025
Noun
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Related article Kurdish separatist leader calls on followers to disarm, potentially ending a five-decade insurgency with Turkey In March, the PKK declared an immediate ceasefire after Ocalan called on fighters to lay down their arms and dissolve the group.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
12 May 2025
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The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a militant separatist group, has claimed responsibility for the attack.—
Asim Khan, Saleem Mehsud and Sophia Saifi,
CNN,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
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As threats from insurgents faded, crackdowns by an authoritarian government surged.—
Mitra Taj,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
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As a result, the new international legal architecture curbed starvation tactics in interstate wars and during occupations but stopped short of fully criminalizing the weapon, particularly when used by poorer states against insurgent groups in civil wars.—
Boyd van Dijk,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Secessionist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secessionist. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
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