insubordinate

American  

[in-suh-bawr-dn-it] / ˌɪn səˈbɔr dn ɪt /

adjective

1. not submitting to authority; disobedient.

   an insubordinate soldier.

   Synonyms:

   insolent, defiant, refractory

2. not lower.

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noun

1. a person who is insubordinate.

insubordinate British  

/ ˌɪnsəˈbɔːdɪnɪt /

adjective

1. not submissive to authority; disobedient or rebellious

2. not in a subordinate position or rank

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noun

1. an insubordinate person

Other Word Forms

• insubordinately adverb
• insubordination noun

Etymology

Origin of insubordinate

First recorded in 1840–50; in- ³ + subordinate

Example Sentences

Roosevelt served for a year as an occasionally insubordinate assistant secretary of the Navy, then resigned at the start of the Spanish-American War to co-found the First U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s not the press who are being insubordinate.

From Salon

“It’s the way you ask these questions,” he said to White House reporter Mary Bruce, adding that she was “insubordinate.”

From Los Angeles Times

An unhappy employee is more likely to engage in contrarian or insubordinate behavior and will generally create a nuisance.

From MarketWatch

Because of the SSA’s stultifying culture, Dudek said, he leaned into his insubordinate streak.

From Salon