insubordination
Americannoun
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.
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
Into this chaos walks a man with an iron fist, a famous surname and zero tolerance for insubordination.
From BBC • May 13, 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
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
An outraged Curtis wasted no time in charging the eight new officers heading up the union with insubordination.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
