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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Recent Examples of secessionist
There are religiously motivated ones targeting both Christians and Muslims, clashes between farmers and herders over dwindling resources, communal rivalries, secessionist groups and ethnic clashes.
—
Fortune, 26 Dec. 2025
The peace agreed to at Dayton left Bosnia, or Bosnia and Herzegovina as it is known in full, intact as a country but divided into two entities, Republika Srpska – a secessionist entity proclaimed by ethnonationalist Serbs in January 1992 – and the Bosnian Federation.
—Adis Maksić, The Conversation, 19 Nov. 2025
But the Declaration was also a secessionist document, establishing revolution as a right.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
This scuttles a compromise, whereby paintings of Lee in his prewar blue Army uniform could remain while the portrait of Lee the secessionist and enslaver came down.
—Time, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for secessionist
Fortune, 26 Dec. 2025
The peace agreed to at Dayton left Bosnia, or Bosnia and Herzegovina as it is known in full, intact as a country but divided into two entities, Republika Srpska – a secessionist entity proclaimed by ethnonationalist Serbs in January 1992 – and the Bosnian Federation.
—Adis Maksić, The Conversation, 19 Nov. 2025
But the Declaration was also a secessionist document, establishing revolution as a right.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
This scuttles a compromise, whereby paintings of Lee in his prewar blue Army uniform could remain while the portrait of Lee the secessionist and enslaver came down.
—Time, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for secessionist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for secessionist
Noun
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Accompanying the violence, both the Naxals and the security forces – including local militia raised to combat the rebels – have been accused of horrific human rights abuses, including abductions, torture and rape.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
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The rebels have reported two cases.—
Jean-Yves Kamale,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Noun
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Since militants linked to al Qaeda and the northern separatist Tuareg rebels launched simultaneous attacks on April 25 — the most audacious in over a decade — Mali has plunged deeper into chaos.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
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The attacks, which have been claimed by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), followed last month's heavy assaults on the government by the group and a Tuareg separatist group, the Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
The outbreak, reported in 14 of Borno state’s 27 local governments, is unfolding in communities with health systems made fragile by nearly two decades of violent extremism from the Boko Haram insurgent group.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 June 2026
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After Daft Punk’s rise from underground dance music heroes to chart-topping pop insurgents, Bangalter followed different muses in different directions.—
Andy Battaglia,
ARTnews.com,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
But, increasingly convinced that Mossadegh was an extremist allied with communism, the Eisenhower administration began to plot his ouster.—
Andrew Arsan,
The New York Review of Books,
6 June 2026
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Increasingly, however, that tent seems to have room for radicals and ideological extremists while pushing out Democrats who think independently.—
Doug Friednash,
Denver Post,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Secessionist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secessionist. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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