insubordination
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing insubordination
100 SAT Words Beginning with "I"
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Ender's Game
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The Princess Bride
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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.
Shotwell, according to the New York Times, also asked staff involved with the letter to stop “flooding” company communication channels and said she would consider ignoring her email to be insubordination.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026
He attacked the qualifications of her replacement and told him he wasn’t welcome in a way that could only indicate insubordination.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
According to Sato’s lawsuit, the chief initiated a complaint against her for insubordination, and she was disciplined with a reprimand.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026
The agent was suspended for insubordination, according to the BBC's news partner CBS, after the agent found the plan to be inappropriate.
From BBC • Oct. 4, 2025
Madam Platt could not countenance this insubordination, but neither could she insist upon service when she could not pay a farthing in wages.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
