secessionists

plural of secessionist
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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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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for secessionists
Noun
  • Mohamed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthis' political bureau, said Washington reached out to the rebels after their rapid advance down Yemen's western coast to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait earlier this month.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The State Department issued a caution warning to Americans in the Middle East on Saturday night after Houthi rebels in Yemen launched a ballistic missile at an airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital.
    — Carter Schroppe, The Washington Examiner, 20 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The latest operation came just over a week after Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti ruled out negotiations with insurgents and said security operations would continue until militancy was eliminated from the province.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Hundreds joined the insurgents that day, and their numbers soon swelled into the thousands.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Dohrn, who is the son of the longtime radicals Bernardine Dohrn and Bill Ayers and who has taught for several years at Northwestern University, certainly has enjoyed a catbird’s seat on the culture wars of academia.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Hickey is the charismatic traveling salesman who preaches a distorted vision of salvation to the social misfits and leftist radicals in a dive bar in lower Manhattan, modeled on the denizens of a favorite O’Neill hangout.
    — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 3 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The caption on the video claims that a group of Muslim extremists kidnapped and beheaded a Christian man for refusing to convert to Islam.
    — Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Dictators chose repression, extremists chose violence, and regional powers pursued their interests.
    — Ayman M. Mohyeldin, Vanity Fair, 11 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Secessionists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secessionists. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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