adjective
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of, like, or causing sedition
-
inclined to or taking part in sedition
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of seditious
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English sedicious, from Old French seditieux, from Latin sēditiōsus, equivalent to sēditi(ō) sedition + -ōsus -ous
Explanation
Something seditious works against a government. When countries overthrow authoritarian dictators, often the people engage in seditious protests until the dictator has to leave. Seditious, pronounced "si-DI-shes," comes from the Latin seditionem meaning "civil disorder, dissention." A seditious act rebels against a government or authority. In some countries just saying seditious remarks against a government can land you in jail, especially if what you say is likely to get people to rise up against the government. If you plot against the current power structure in any way, you're being seditious.
Vocabulary lists containing seditious
1984
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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.
They face up to seven years in prison for acting with "seditious intention" and up to 14 years in prison for money laundering.
From Barron's • Jun. 24, 2026
While former Proud Boys leader Henry "Enrique" Tarrio was also convicted for seditious conspiracy over the riot, he was pardoned.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
A year after he lampooned a judge in a mocking poem, he had the misfortune of standing before him charged with seditious libel for a pamphlet satirizing the Church.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026
Federal courts and legal scholars have long emphasized that seditious conspiracy charges apply only to coordinated efforts to use force against the government, rather than political dissent.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 20, 2025
“You heard about the Verne Hamilton case over in Roundup? Been charged with making seditious comments, saying he wouldn’t go to war, that they’d have to take him feet first if he was conscripted?”
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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.
