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
  • The rebels recently seized more territory along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The rebels urged their forces to continue fighting and called on Tigrayans to support them.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • They’re seen as oligarchs, as the people with wealth and power, controlling our lives—not as outsider insurgents.
    — Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • International sanctions persisted, and PF’s ZANLA and ZIPRA insurgents continued their liberation war.
    — Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Adding caffeine, which mops up radicals, largely stopped the clumping, pointing to the radicals as the cause.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Fluorine is then released into the water as fluoride ions, while hydroxyl radicals and hydroxide ions help sever carbon-carbon bonds in the remaining molecular chains.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Muslim students should not be expected to answer for extremists who claim to speak in the name of Islam.
    — Rabbi Bruce D. Forman, Sun Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The groups similarly present themselves as armed community defenders against the government or right-wing extremists, but continue to find members who get in trouble with law enforcement.
    — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Secessionists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secessionists. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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