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

Attorney’s Office for operating illegally and took the rare step of throwing a prosecutor out of his courtroom for insubordination, according to a transcript obtained by the New York Times.

From Slate • Mar. 20, 2026

We’re directed to work more efficiently with little direction as to what is allowed and what will be deemed insubordination by paranoid agency leadership teams.

From Slate • Feb. 21, 2025

“The Justice Department will not tolerate the insubordination and apparent misconduct reflected in the approach that you and your office have taken,” he wrote.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2025

He stands accused of corruption, money-laundering, gross misconduct, insubordination and bullying public officers and six other acts of wrongdoing.

From BBC • Oct. 1, 2024

I have to appear as a witness and explain the reason of Tjaden’s insubordination.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque

Related Words

• dereliction
• infringement