rebellious

adjective

ri-ˈbel-yəs How to pronounce rebellious (audio)
Definition of rebelliousnext
1
as in insurgent
taking part in a rebellion the rebellious troops fought a pitched battle with divisions still loyal to the government

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rebel
given to resisting authority or another's control expected her son to grow a little more rebellious as he got older, but she knew he understood when to kick and when to obey

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 rebellious Related Stories Known to be a rebellious royal and a surreptitious anti-fascist, Maria José then moved to Portugal and soon left her husband. — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 17 June 2026 Meanwhile, Tom’s rebellious teenaged son, Evan (Kingston Rumi Southwick), has fallen in with a delinquent crowd out of sheer boredom, resentful that he’s never been allowed to leave the island. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 21 June 2026 To promote the new launch, the duo teamed up on a campaign captured on the streets of Paris by photographer Daniel Roché, with the aim of creating a series of images that reflects the fusion of youth culture and a cool, rebellious edge, Asics said. — Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 20 June 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for rebellious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebellious
  1. insurgent
  2. rebel
  3. traitorous
  4. defiant
  5. revolutionary
  6. stubborn
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
Adjective
  • In early 2025, fighting broke out between Congolese authorities and groups led by the rebel paramilitary group M23.
    — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 6 July 2026
  • In the middle of the developments are are lawyer Wayne Hsiung and rebel Rose Patterson, who through the process of filming, fell in love, got married and adopted James, a dog rescued from the facility in March.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 July 2026
Definition of rebel
Adjective
  • And at the very center of Hell is Satan himself, the traitorous Archangel Lucifer, depicted as a monstrous creature with wings and three heads.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 11 May 2026
  • Russell fabricates a lie with the rest of the villains, and the heroes believe it, despite a warning from one traitorous tribemate.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025
Definition of traitorous
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
Adjective
  • The revolutionary leaders proved their character with sacrifice and bravery.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • Even if reality ends up being 30–40%, that would prove revolutionary in commercial aviation.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 5 July 2026
Definition of revolutionary
Adjective
  • Colombia earned its passage into the round of 16 with a 1-0 win over stubborn Ghana.
    — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • Pickle Robot’s Physical AI unloaders tackle the dock door bottleneck, which is a stubborn pain point in inbound logistics, while AmbiStack handles the structured, high-volume stacking that feeds downstream operations.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 6 July 2026
Definition of stubborn

Browse Nearby Words

rebellions
rebellious
rebelliousness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on rebellious

Nglish: Translation of rebellious for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

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

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
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
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All