insurrectionary 1 of 2

adjective

as in insurgent
taking part in a rebellion a small insurrectionary force that was soundly defeated by the loyalists

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

insurrectionary

2 of 2

noun

as in rebel
a person who rises up against authority only a small band of insurrectionaries who were willing to stand up to the dictator

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 insurrectionary
Adjective
Young protestors answered with an insurrectionary energy in the summer and soon found support from a broader coalition comprised of opposition parties, social movements and other pillars of Indian civil society. — Asim Ali, Time, 24 Oct. 2026 The Iranian regime was, if not on the ropes, then in very serious trouble as recently as January, when, amid a terrible economic situation with an eviscerated middle class, a large proportion of the population—disgruntled, unhappy, insurrectionary, revolutionary—came out to protest on the streets. — Daniel Drake, The New York Review of Books, 16 May 2026 Mazzini therefore proposed to rely solely upon a national insurrectionary movement, aiming at unity in a free republic. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Mar. 2026 The government alleges the Sotos were part of a group of people who created and distributed insurrectionary materials called zines. — Emerson Clarridge updated March 6, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2026 This insurrectionary narrative about the media is not restricted to the right. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2026 In a year of cancellations and euphemisms, the city mounted a counterprogram that was quietly insurrectionary, stubbornly joyous. — The Editors, Curbed, 15 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insurrectionary
  1. insurgent
  2. rebel
  3. revolutionary
Adjective
  • Four years ago, during his insurgent first campaign, this editorial board had been wary of some of Mejia’s radical rhetoric.
    — The Editorial Board, Daily News, 10 June 2026
  • Myanmar is worried about resistance to military rule, India is concerned with insurgent groups in its northeast.
    — Michael Sullivan, NPR, 30 May 2026
Definition of insurgent
Noun
  • The war next door United Nations experts have documented Rwandan military support for M23 rebels, which have seized territory in eastern DRC.
    — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026
  • But the rebels also have an array of relatively cheap drones, including weapons supplied by Iran, and locally made copies of Iranian attack drones.
    — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of rebel
Noun
  • Danny Trejo has played a Mexican revolutionary, a Mexican cop, a Mexican cartel assassin and, of course, a Mexican ex-con who kills bad guys with a machete.
    — Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026
  • But, even then, American socialists walked a fine line—they were considered too radical for the mainstream and a mere bourgeois affectation by committed class revolutionaries.
    — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of revolutionary

Browse Nearby Words

insurrectionaries
insurrectionary
insurrectionist
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Insurrectionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insurrectionary. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shindig

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All