insubordination

American  

noun

1. the quality or condition of being insubordinate, or of being disobedient to authority; defiance.

   The employee was fired for insubordination.

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Etymology

Origin of insubordination

First recorded in 1785–95; in- ³ ( def. ) + subordinat(e) ( def. ) + -ion ( def. )

Explanation

People in charge — like bosses and teachers — hate insubordination, which means that someone is defying their authority. When a student is disrespectful to a teacher or says something like "I won't do this homework!", that's an act of insubordination. If a teacher didn't do what the principal wanted, that would also be insubordination. This word is often used in relation to the military, where giving and taking orders is extremely important. A soldier who commits insubordination — by disobeying an order — can be in a lot of trouble. Anywhere there's insubordination, someone with less power (a subordinate) is giving someone with more power a whole lot of trouble.

Example Sentences

Occidental College even offers a course called “Reading RuPaul: Camp Culture, Gender Insubordination and the Politics of Performance.”

From New York Times • Feb. 21, 2014

"Insubordination began to get bad about ten years ago when relief came in," observed a Bronx truant officer last week.

From Time Magazine Archive

Insubordination has always been rife on Weaver's teams.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Neither do I, Doctor," said Vogel, climbing the ladder, "but the commander has given us orders. Insubordination will not help."

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

The Eagle wheeled around, his sixth sense detecting Insubordination To Authority Figures.

From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green

Related Words

• dereliction
• infringement