rebellion

[ ri-bel-yuhn ]

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.

rebellion

/ 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

Other Words From

• nonre·bellion noun
• prere·bellion adjective
• semi·re·bellion noun
• subre·bellion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of rebellion¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of rebellion¹

C14: via Old French from Latin rebelliō revolt (of those conquered); see rebel

Example Sentences

Because though it was never guaranteed in our household, in those years following the rebellion, in those sometimes unsteady months as a new family of three in the haze of my parents divorce, we held on to the depth of that possibility no matter what came our way.

From Los Angeles Times

The collective shaming has built a grassroots rebellion but—like Community Notes—it doesn’t seem to be producing real-world effects.

From Slate

But it was part of the slow burn of my rebellion, of a deconstruction of the woman I’d been conditioned to be.

From Salon

These were my first signs of rebellion.

From Salon

"There will always be individuals who challenge the status quo so it should come as no surprise a ban on something only adds fuel to the fire of rebellion and a threat to a person's sense of independence."

From BBC

Related Words

• dissent
• insurgency
• insurrection
• revolution
• uprising