insurgency

[in-sur-juhn-see]

noun

plural

insurgencies 

1. the state or condition of being insurgent.

2. insurrection against an existing government, usually one's own, by a group not recognized as having the status of a belligerent.

3. rebellion within a group, as by members against leaders.

4. insurgence.

Word History and Origins

Origin of insurgency¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; insurg(ent) + -ency

Example Sentences

The east African nation saw civil war in the 1990s mutate in the 2000s into an Islamist insurgency that still threatens much of the country.

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Mali's junta, which seized power in back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021, had promised to stem the jihadist insurgency that has plagued the country for more than a decade but has achieved little success.

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It is the scene of numerous conflicts, including jihadist insurgencies, which kill both Christians and Muslims, often indiscriminately.

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Moscow says its forces are helping several African governments repel jihadist insurgencies.

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Its goal: oust the junta, which has struggled to contain Mali's decade-long insurgency since taking power following back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021, by scaring away investors and paralysing the west African country's economy.

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Related Words

• dissent 
• insurrection 
• mutiny 
• revolt 
• revolution 
• uprising