insubordinate

[ in-suh-bawr-dn-it ]

/ ˌɪn səˈbɔr dn ɪt /

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See synonyms for: insubordinate / insubordination on Thesaurus.com

adjective

not submitting to authority; disobedient: an insubordinate soldier.

not lower.

noun

a person who is insubordinate.

OTHER WORDS FOR insubordinate

1 refractory, defiant, insolent.

See synonyms for insubordinate on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of insubordinate

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

OTHER WORDS FROM insubordinate

in·sub·or·di·nate·ly, adverbin·sub·or·di·na·tion, noun

Words nearby insubordinate

instrumented, instrument flying, instrument landing, instrument panel, in style, insubordinate, insubordination, in substance, insubstantial, insufferable, insufficiency

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use insubordinate in a sentence

If any orphan admitted to the school should be incompetent to learn, or master a trade … or become insubordinate, or guilty of vice or crime … or become an unfit companion for the others … he may be removed or expelled.
“I Finally Got to the Mountaintop and I Failed”|by Bob Fernandez, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Charlotte Keith, Spotlight PA|June 10, 2021|ProPublica
Of course, if the message still isn’t getting through, there may be a bigger issue at play, either with your boss struggling to assert her authority or your insubordinate peer failing to recognize it.
I’ve been promoted, but my old boss still seems to think I work for him|Karla Miller|January 7, 2021|Washington Post
Not a spoiler, but next week Maggie says something to Will that even she acknowledges is “inappropriate” and “insubordinate.”
HBO’s ‘The Newsroom’: Aaron Sorkin’s Woman Problem|Jace Lacob, Maureen Ryan|July 2, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The sisters took advantage of the scandal she had caused to act in an insubordinate way towards her.
Bell's Cathedrals: A Short Account of Romsey Abbey|Thomas Perkins

Drunk or sober, they were constantly insubordinate, setting a bad example to the crew, and quarrelling with each other.
Hurricane Hurry|W.H.G. Kingston
"Pull yourself together, dear old officer," said Bones, raising his voice to an insubordinate pitch.
The Keepers of the King's Peace|Edgar Wallace
William Moore was an insubordinate gunner; after an altercation, Kidd hit him on the head with a bucket, and he died.
Privateering and Piracy in the Colonial Period|Various
An insubordinate clergy and a dissolute populace quickly felt the hand that now held the reins.
History of the Intellectual Development of Europe, Volume I (of 2)|John William Draper

British Dictionary definitions for insubordinate

insubordinate

/ (ˌɪnsəˈbɔːdɪnɪt) /

adjective

not submissive to authority; disobedient or rebellious

not in a subordinate position or rank

noun

an insubordinate person

Derived forms of insubordinate

insubordinately, adverbinsubordination, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

insubordinate

OTHER WORDS FOR insubordinate

Origin of insubordinate

OTHER WORDS FROM insubordinate

Words nearby insubordinate

Words related to insubordinate

How to use insubordinate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for insubordinate

Derived forms of insubordinate