as in rebels
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 secessionists
If nothing is done, the secessionists may achieve success simply for lack of opposition.
—
U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
Analysts sympathetic to Riyadh say Saudi policy is to defend state sovereignty and regional order, accusing Abu Dhabi of empowering secessionists to maintain influence in failing states.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 19 Jan. 2026
U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
Analysts sympathetic to Riyadh say Saudi policy is to defend state sovereignty and regional order, accusing Abu Dhabi of empowering secessionists to maintain influence in failing states.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for secessionists
Noun
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The rebels’ final push to victory would take them right past the front door of Cardenas’ three-quarter-acre hacienda.—
Ed Guzman,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
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Paris intervened in Mali in 2013 when a jihadist insurgency threatened to spin out of control, and led a largely Western force in fighting jihadist rebels.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
10 May 2026
Noun
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The misery wrought by insurgents in largely ungoverned spaces will push people to flee.—
Ulf Laessing,
semafor.com,
30 Apr. 2026
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Tribune correspondents Ronald Yates — who was one of the last American journalists to leave Phnom Penh when the Cambodian capital fell to insurgents just weeks earlier — and Philip Caputo lost contact with the newspaper in South Vietnam just before Saigon was overtaken by communist North Vietnam.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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To its members, Latin America’s leaders weren’t revolutionary peers but swarthy radicals.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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By using multiple pulses in a sequence, chemists can study additional properties of radicals that are difficult to see with continuous-wave EPR, says Sideris, who recently moved to Stanford University.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Her prank of lying in wait for each of her housemates, bombarding them with a Super Soaker, and then enlisting them in her eco-army of Seussian extremists was just pure wonderful delight.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
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For years, Christian clergy who live and work in Jerusalem have reported being frequently spat on, harassed and even physically attacked by Israeli extremists.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Secessionists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secessionists. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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