rebellion

American  

[ri-bel-yuhn] / rɪˈbɛl yən /

noun

1. open, organized, and armed resistance to one's government or ruler.

   Synonyms:

   sedition, mutiny

2. resistance to or defiance of any authority, control, or tradition.

   Synonyms:

   disobedience, insubordination

3. the act of rebelling.

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rebellion British  

/ rɪˈbɛljən /

noun

1. organized resistance or opposition to a government or other authority

2. dissent from an accepted moral code or convention of behaviour, dress, etc

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Usage

What does rebellion mean? A rebellion is an attempt to overthrow a government—an organized revolution.It can also refer to a revolt against another form of authority. More generally, rebellion can refer to an action or behavior that resists or defies rules or norms or otherwise challenges the status quo.The verb rebel means to engage in rebellion. As a noun, rebel can refer to a revolutionary or to a person who is defiant or disobedient. Such a defiant person can be called rebellious, and the noun rebelliousness refers to such behavior. Rebellion can also refer to this, as in I went through a phase of teenage rebellion.Example: The rebellion is being led by a coalition of factions that all have the same goal—to topple the regime.

Other Word Forms

• nonrebellion noun
• prerebellion adjective
• semirebellion noun
• subrebellion noun

Etymology

Origin of rebellion

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English rebellioun, from Old French, from Latin rebelliōn-, stem of rebelliō; equivalent to rebel + -ion

Example Sentences

Likewise, the end of slavery was not solely brought about by the Civil War in the U.S., but also by centuries of resistance through rebellions, wars, sabotage and self-emancipation, across the entire Americas.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr. Rees-Mogg commits a small act of rebellion as he prepares to sit down at his London home for our Zoom interview: He makes a cup of instant coffee instead of tea.

From The Wall Street Journal

He had no role in the armed rebellion.

From The Wall Street Journal

But Jewan concealed an anti-colonial streak and Sikh activists gathered to talk rebellion at a retreat he built on the Ravi River, which zigzags across what is now the restive border between Pakistan and India.

From The Wall Street Journal

The crash highlighted Turkey’s role as a power broker in Libya, an oil-rich country in north Africa that descended into political crisis and civil war after a 2011 rebellion overthrew former dictator Col.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• dissent
• insurgency
• insurrection
• revolution
• uprising