insurgent

[in-sur-juhnt]

noun

1. a person who rises in forcible opposition to lawful authority, especially a person who engages in armed resistance to a government or to the execution of its laws; rebel.

2. a member of a section of a political party that revolts against the methods or policies of the party.

adjective

1. of or characteristic of an insurgent or insurgents.

   Synonyms: mutinous, revolutionary, rebellious

2. surging or rushing in.

   The insurgent waves battered the shore.

insurgent

/ ɪnˈsɜːdʒənt /

adjective

1. rebellious or in revolt, as against a government in power or the civil authorities

noun

1. a person who takes part in an uprising or rebellion; insurrectionist

2. international law a person or group that rises in revolt against an established government or authority but whose conduct does not amount to belligerency

Other Word Forms

• insurgency noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of insurgent¹

1755–65; < Latin insurgent- (stem of insurgēns ) present participle of insurgere to get up, ascend, rebel. See in- ², surge, -ent

Word History and Origins

Origin of insurgent¹

C18: from Latin insurgēns rising upon or against, from insurgere to rise up, from surgere to rise

Example Sentences

The eastern DRC, a region bordering Rwanda with abundant natural resources, has suffered extreme violence for more than three decades, often at the hands of armed insurgent groups.

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But his insurgent popularity has since waned, with recent polling putting him close to one percent of the vote.

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Islamic insurgents killed three people and kidnapped 11 children in new attacks in northern Mozambique Friday, including on Palma, a key town in a major international gas hub, locals said.

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The EPP sits atop an unwieldy coalition of these three factions, designed to freeze out parties of the insurgent right that did well in last year’s European Parliament elections.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

So-called insurgent brands now capture a wildly disproportionate share of growth.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• demonstrator 
• mutineer 
• radical 
• revolutionary 
• rioter www.thesaurus.com