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
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
In Civil War’s America, the federal government — led by a third-term president — has become authoritarian, resulting in secessionist movements that have split the country apart.
—Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 2 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
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
In Civil War’s America, the federal government — led by a third-term president — has become authoritarian, resulting in secessionist movements that have split the country apart.
—Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 2 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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Annabeth and Grover tell Percy that Chiron has returned, Luke has vanished, and the monsters and rebels have been driven away from the camp.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Dylan The ultimate high school rebel with a heart of gold.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Meanwhile, an Iranian Kurdish separatist group in Iraq claimed Iran targeted one of its bases in a drone and missile attack that killed at least one fighter.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Jan. 2026
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Saudi Arabia accused the UAE of aiding a Yemeni separatist, ramping up tensions between the Gulf powers, which are on opposing sides of multiple conflicts.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Israel — home to more Holocaust survivors than any other country — marks its remembrance day, Yom HaShoah, on the anniversary of the April 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, emphasizing the heroism of the Jewish insurgents who resisted the Nazi terror.—
Vanessa Gera,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
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According to two senior government officials, the Canadian armed forces were drafting insurgent-like tactics mirroring those used by the Taliban to fight back against the US invasion of Afghanistan.—
Joe Wilkins Published Jan 21,
Futurism,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Voters in primary elections may nominate extremists to run in the general election, leaving independents no choice but to vote for the lesser of two evils or to abstain from voting for either.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
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My fellow Republicans have been holding firm in labeling Renee Good a domestic extremist, asserting that her actions constituted a violent threat motivated by ideological aims.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Secessionist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secessionist. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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