mutineer
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of mutineer
1600–10; < Middle French mutinier, equivalent to mutin mutiny, mutinous ( meut ( e ) mutiny < Vulgar Latin *movita, feminine of *movitus, variant of Latin mōtus, past participle of movēre to move + -in -ine 1 ) + -ier -ier 2; see -eer
Explanation
A mutineer is someone who rebels against authority. If a group of kids refuses to go back inside the school when recess is over, you can call them mutineers. Mutiny is the act of revolt or opposition against an authority like the captain of a ship or the commander of an army. Anyone who acts to carry out a mutiny is a mutineer. Both words stem from the old verb mutine, "revolt," and its root word meaning "to push away." Formally, a mutineer is someone who's guilty of a crime, but you can use it informally for any type of rebel.
Vocabulary lists containing mutineer
White Rose
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The Most Beautiful Roof in the World
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Cat's Cradle
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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.
Seeing Samary revealed as the coup spokesman, Tévoédjrè was dismayed to realize he had sent a mutineer to stop a mutiny.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
The lead mutineer was a deckhand named Liu Guiduo.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2023
Even Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., perhaps Congress’ most notorious recent mutineer, did well.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 3, 2022
“I’ve never known a better seaman, but as a man, he’s a snake,” says Clark Gable as mutineer Fletcher Christian in the 1935 version.
From Washington Post • Apr. 15, 2020
"Once a mutineer, always a mutineer," Lady Barbara would occasionally say of herself.
From The Education of Eric Lane by McKenna, Stephen
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.
