insurrection

[ in-suh-rek-shuhn ]

noun

1. an act or instance of rising in revolt, rebellion, or resistance against civil authority or an established government.

   Synonyms: mutiny, uprising, insurgency

insurrection

/ ˌɪnsəˈrɛkʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of rebelling against a government in power or the civil authorities; insurgency

Derived Forms

• ˌinsurˈrectional, adjective
• ˌinsurˈrectionary, nounadjective
• ˌinsurˈrectionist, nounadjective
• ˌinsurˈrectionism, noun

Other Words From

• insur·rection·al adjective
• insur·rection·al·ly adverb
• insur·rection·ism noun
• insur·rection·ist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of insurrection¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Late Latin insurrēctiōn-, stem of insurrēctiō, from insurrēct(us) “risen up, rebelled” (past participle of insurgere “to get up, ascend, rebel”; insurgent ) + -iō -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of insurrection¹

C15: from Late Latin insurrectiō, from insurgere to rise up

Example Sentences

Before the insurrection, people’s sense of security in the peaceful transfer of power and respect for election outcomes was so strong that the chipping away at the legitimacy of the results was maybe not viewed as seriously as it should have been.

From FiveThirtyEight

Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez’s Instagram Live post on the insurrection shows why we can’t just move on.

From Vox

The short-lived insurrection was planned and executed in public.

From Washington Post

It’s a wonder any of us were able to tear ourselves away from the news for long enough to watch anything else this month, which took America from insurrection to impeachment to the inauguration of our 46th President in the space of just two weeks.

From Time

More than 100 of those involved in the act of insurrection have also been arrested, itself a form of moderation.

From Time

In the early 1960s Cambridge University was a hotbed of cultural and social insurrection.

From The Daily Beast

There are fears of a major new Islamist insurrection, possibly inspired by the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

From The Daily Beast

He was with James Meredith during the violent insurrection that followed the integration of the University of Mississippi in 1962.

From The Daily Beast

Of course, without American logistical aid, the insurrection would have ended in tragedy.

From The Daily Beast

In a rare moment of insurrection, Rivera threatened to stay behind, even without permission.

From The Daily Beast

A serious insurrection occurred at Dresden, in Saxony, but was in a few days put down.

From Project Gutenberg

During his mild régime the insurrection increased rapidly, and in one encounter he himself was very near falling a prisoner.

From Project Gutenberg

The flame of organized insurrection was almost extinguished, but there still remained some dangerous embers.

From Project Gutenberg

Meantime the discontents in the northern provinces had broken out into open insurrection, in the captaincy of Pernambuco.

From Project Gutenberg

Abramko had allowed himself to be compromised in the Polish insurrection and Magus was interested in saving him.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• coup
• insurgency
• mutiny
• revolt
• revolution
• riot
• sedition
• uprising

More About Insurrection

Why is insurrection trending?

On January 6, 2021, lookups for the word insurrection skyrocketed 22,358% on Dictionary.com after a mob of supporters of Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol building on the day Congress was set to certify the electoral vote count to confirm Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. Some journalists, political analysts, and politicians used the word insurrection to refer to the events that occurred in the nation’s capital.

The man directly responsible for the chaos of today is Donald Trump, who has made it clear that he will do anything to remain in power – including insurrection and inciting violence. Trump will go down in history as the worst and most dangerous president in history.

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) January 6, 2021

Senator Mitt Romney condemned President Trump on Wednesday night for the breaching of the Capitol by his supporters.

“What happened here today was an insurrection, incited by the president of the United States,” Romney said in a statement.https://t.co/4949BfMS40

— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 7, 2021

 

Insurrection vs. sedition vs. coup

Those discussing the events also used other strong words, including sedition, coup (and coup d’état), and (domestic) terrorism. Sedition is incitement or promotion of rebellion against the government, while an insurrection is an active rebellion or uprising against the government. Those who engage in insurrection can be called insurrectionists. In the context of government overthrow, the word coup is short for coup d’état, which narrowly refers to an illegal or forceful change of government, as opposed to an uprising in general. A coup may be attempted with the intention of removing a single political leader, rather than instituting an entirely new form of government, for example. Despite the differences in their meanings, terms like sedition, insurrection, and coup are sometimes used in the discussion of the same events. For example, sedition may inspire an insurrection that results in a coup.

More broadly, terrorism involves the use of violence or threats of violence—especially against civilians—to achieve some political aim. Domestic terrorism specifically refers to acts of terrorism against one’s fellow citizens. By contrast, the word insurrection typically refers to acts that target the government, rather than civilians. However, some acts of insurrection may also be considered acts of terrorism.

Some discussing the events of January 6 described them as having the atmosphere of a banana republic, which refers to an authoritarian country known for exploiting its citizens for the benefit of wealthy elites and foreign corporations. (Use of the term is often criticized due to disparaging associations with Central American countries.)