insurgency

[in-sur-juhn-see]

noun

plural

insurgencies 

1. the state or condition of being insurgent.

2. insurrection against an existing government, usually one's own, by a group not recognized as having the status of a belligerent.

3. rebellion within a group, as by members against leaders.

4. insurgence.

Word History and Origins

Origin of insurgency¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; insurg(ent) + -ency

Example Sentences

But the jihadist insurgency has continued, and has made much of the north and east of the country ungovernable.

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In the Central African Republic, where the government is trying to put down a persistent insurgency, Wagner mercenaries had a hand in a variety of business ventures, from mining gold to providing presidential bodyguards.

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In response to a worsening Islamist insurgency, the junta stopped working with the former colonial power, France, and instead turned to Russia for military assistance.

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It has become an urban guerilla force mounting an insurgency against the IDF in the ruins.

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Al-Shabab is affiliated to al-Qaeda and has waged a brutal insurgency against the government in Somalia for nearly 20 years.

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Related Words

• dissent 
• insurrection 
• mutiny 
• revolt 
• revolution 
• uprising