insubordinate 1 of 2

adjective

ˌin(t)-sə-ˈbȯr-də-nət How to pronounce insubordinate (audio)
Definition of insubordinatenext
as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control the junior officer was court-martialed for being insubordinate

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

insubordinate

2 of 2

noun

as in rebel

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Dissimilar Words

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 insubordinate
Adjective
People close to Weiss have said comments like Pelley’s show a stubborn, insubordinate streak that wouldn’t be tolerated in any work environment. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 7 June 2026 While Reynoso was getting in trouble, being insubordinate and dealing with suspensions, Rodriguez has been entirely more benign. — Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 9 May 2026 New research shows Hinton’s premonitions about the insubordinate streak of AI may already be a reality. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2026 If a Texas sheriff is insubordinate or doesn't comply with SB 8, the attorney general has the authority to file a court order and face potential legal penalties. — Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 30 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for insubordinate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insubordinate
  1. rebellious
  2. rebel
  3. defiant
  4. insurgent
  5. challenger
  6. resister
  7. mutineer
  8. insurrectionist
Adjective
  • For seven seasons, a hodgepodge crew mixing Starfleet and the rebellious Maquis put aside their differences after they got zapped 70,000 lightyears away from Earth, deep into the uncharted Delta Quadrant.
    — Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 4 July 2026
  • This could bring about sudden ideas, or trigger rebellious impulses and creative imagination.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026
Definition of rebellious
Noun
  • Gillespie also has a reputation for melding music to movies, as seen in Cruella, his 2021 movie that cast Disney villainess Cruella de Vil as a punk rock rebel in London’s fashion scene.
    — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 3 July 2026
  • The winner is the daughter of the late Alberto Fujimori, the former president whose government in the 1990s defeated the Shining Path extremist rebel group but also took an authoritarian turn.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026
Definition of rebel
Adjective
  • Femi was defiant as he was interviewed in the ring following his victory.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 29 June 2026
  • Laurie Whitwell Were South Africa unlucky after defiant defensive display?
    — Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 28 June 2026
Definition of defiant
Noun
  • Fujimori, 51, is the daughter of late President Alberto Fujimori, who governed the country ​with an iron fist from 1990 to 2000 and was credited with defeating Maoist insurgents and taming runaway hyperinflation.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 4 July 2026
  • Syria has been without a parliament since the December 2024 offensive by insurgents led by al-Sharaa’s now defunct Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, which ended the Assad family’s five-decade dynasty.
    — Ghaith Alsayed, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of insurgent
Noun
  • Her victory over leftist challenger Roberto Sánchez marks her fourth presidential bid and makes her Peru’s first female president-elect.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026
  • Republican Mark Baisley didn't face a challenger for the GOP nomination and will face Hickelooper in the November general election.
    — Jesse Sarles, CBS News, 1 July 2026
Definition of challenger
Noun
  • In November 1971, Berkeley, California, became the first sanctuary city in the country when 12 local churches inspired the City Council to pass a resolution offering sanctuary to draft resisters.
    — Menika Dirkson, The Conversation, 8 Apr. 2026
  • Clemson resister Dabo Swinney has driven his program into the ground.
    — Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of resister
Noun
  • Pitcairn is well-known as the island on which Fletcher Christian and other British mutineers from the HMS Bounty took refuge after the 1789 events that toppled Capt.
    — Matthew Lee, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
  • Or an historian of Polynesian culture giving a lecture about tattooing, or the time Captain Bligh stopped on the atoll to look for the mutineer Fletcher Christian.
    — Antonia Quirke, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
Definition of mutineer
Noun
  • Thomas Hobbes took a very dim view of rebels and insurrectionists.
    — Austin Sarat, Fortune, 24 May 2026
  • The recipients will almost surely be insurrectionists and other allies.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
Definition of insurrectionist

Browse Nearby Words

instruments
insubordinate
insubordinates
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Cite this Entry

“Insubordinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insubordinate. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of insubordinate for Spanish Speakers

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