insurgent
Americannoun
-
a person who rises in forcible opposition to lawful authority, especially a person who engages in armed resistance to a government or to the execution of its laws; rebel.
-
a member of a section of a political party that revolts against the methods or policies of the party.
adjective
-
of or characteristic of an insurgent or insurgents.
- Synonyms:
- mutinous, revolutionary, rebellious
-
surging or rushing in.
The insurgent waves battered the shore.
adjective
noun
-
a person who takes part in an uprising or rebellion; insurrectionist
-
international law a person or group that rises in revolt against an established government or authority but whose conduct does not amount to belligerency
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of insurgent
1755–65; < Latin insurgent- (stem of insurgēns ) present participle of insurgere to get up, ascend, rebel. See in- 2, surge, -ent
Explanation
An insurgent is a rebel or a revolutionary, someone who takes up arms against the authorities. Insurgent is from the Latin word “insurgentem,” literally meaning “to rise against,” so think of an insurgent as a fighter who rises against the people in power. Often insurgents are considered terrorists because they use violence to intimidate people.
Vocabulary lists containing insurgent
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Insurgent politicians are highly effective at using X and other social media to spread their messages.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 7, 2025
Insurgent sources have confirmed to the BBC that the new recruits are one of the factors, together with the drones and air strikes, which have turned the tide on the battlefield.
From BBC • Oct. 22, 2025
Insurgent forces including the Houthis and allied tribes in Yemen number around 20,000 fighters, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 20, 2024
A former shock trooper, Susak speaks about how her grandmother was deported to Siberia for having a brother in the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.
From Slate • Mar. 3, 2022
Insurgent capitalism frightened the government of North Korea, which fretted publicly about a slippery slope to regime change and catastrophe.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
