insurgent
insurgents; insurgently
An insurgent is a rebel or a revolutionary, someone who takes up arms against the authorities.
Insurgent is from the Latin word “insurgentem,” literally meaning “to rise against,” so think of an insurgent as a fighter who rises against the people in power. Often insurgents are considered terrorists because they use violence to intimidate people.
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in opposition to a civil authority or government
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synonyms:
seditious, subversive
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disloyal
deserting your allegiance or duty to leader or cause or principle
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disloyal
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a person who takes part in an armed rebellion against the constituted authority (especially in the hope of improving conditions)
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synonyms:
freedom fighter, insurrectionist, rebel
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examples:
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Nat Turner
United States slave and insurrectionist who in 1831 led a rebellion of slaves in Virginia; he was captured and executed (1800-1831)
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Denmark Vesey
United States freed slave and insurrectionist in South Carolina who was involved in planning an uprising of slaves and was hanged (1767-1822)
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Sir William Wallace
Scottish insurgent who led the resistance to Edward I; in 1297 he gained control of Scotland briefly until Edward invaded Scotland again and defeated Wallace and subsequently executed him (1270-1305)
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types:
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mutineer
someone who is openly rebellious and refuses to obey authorities (especially seamen or soldiers)
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Young Turk
a member of one or more of the insurgent groups in Turkey in the late 19th century who rebelled against the absolutism of Ottoman rule
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type of:
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crusader, meliorist, reformer, reformist, social reformer
a disputant who advocates reform
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revolutionary, revolutionist, subversive, subverter
a radical supporter of political or social revolution
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Nat Turner
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a member of an irregular armed force that fights a stronger force by sabotage and harassment
Vocabulary lists containing insurgent
This biography details the life of Janusz Korczak, a Polish doctor who refused to abandon the orphaned children in his care during the Holocaust.
A teen in New York City fights for his life during the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, while on September 11, 2019, a teen in Afghanistan gets caught up in war.
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