as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control
the junior officer was court-martialed for being insubordinate
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as in rebel
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of insubordinate
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
Joey attempts to help Monica gain respect among the insubordinate kitchen staff at her new job, and things don't go well for Rachel when Chandler sets her up on a bad date with a colleague.
—Eric Todisco, People.com, 15 Dec. 2024
The police department says the most recent investigation showed Cpt. Danita Pettis was dishonest, entered false payroll information, and was insubordinate.
—Sharon Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Dec. 2024
If anything, Truman waited too long to do it after MacArthur failed to anticipate or even detect the Chinese intervention and then grew increasingly insubordinate, criticizing Truman and the Joint Chiefs of Staff in his communications with Congress.
—Mike Gallagher, Foreign Affairs, 26 July 2023
See All Example Sentences for insubordinate
Adjective
Insomnia is a mark of the insubordinate imagination.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
Joey attempts to help Monica gain respect among the insubordinate kitchen staff at her new job, and things don't go well for Rachel when Chandler sets her up on a bad date with a colleague.
—Eric Todisco, People.com, 15 Dec. 2024
The police department says the most recent investigation showed Cpt. Danita Pettis was dishonest, entered false payroll information, and was insubordinate.
—Sharon Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Dec. 2024
If anything, Truman waited too long to do it after MacArthur failed to anticipate or even detect the Chinese intervention and then grew increasingly insubordinate, criticizing Truman and the Joint Chiefs of Staff in his communications with Congress.
—Mike Gallagher, Foreign Affairs, 26 July 2023
See All Example Sentences for insubordinate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insubordinate
Adjective
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From the start, Handy argues, the on-screen adventures in teen movies have been targeted to a double audience of rebellious teens and anxious adults.—
Hillary Kelly,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2025
-
In addition to provoking rebellious and impulsive actions, this unpredictable synergy can abruptly derail plans.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
4 June 2025
Noun
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Iran has also for years militarily and financially supported regional militia groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hamas in Gaza, that have pressured or attacked Israel on multiple fronts.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
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Worried about Michilimackinac’s vulnerability to attacks by American rebels, the British relocated the fort to the high bluffs of Mackinac Island in 1780 and shortened its name.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
9 June 2025
Adjective
-
That’s what makes their fourth studio album, Lucius, almost defiant in its return to form.—
Marissa R. Moss,
Rolling Stone,
11 June 2025
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Asked about his potential exit at the weekend while on international duty for Germany, Ter Stegen was defiant.—
Tom Sanderson,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
Noun
-
Widely viewed as the most powerful of a broad array of insurgent groups active in northern Syria, HTS withstood regular attacks by the Syrian military, ultimately turning the tide last December.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
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In recent years, the PKK has been limited to isolated attacks inside Turkey as the Turkish military, backed by armed drones, has pushed its insurgents increasingly across the mountainous border into Iraq.—
Suzan Fraser,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2025
Noun
-
Among the resisters is a small but growing group of veterans, like Tamir, who openly express dissent and outrage.—
Ruth Margalit,
New Yorker,
14 May 2025
-
Many war resisters, or draft dodgers as they were often called by others, were not interested in returning when Mr. Carter made his amnesty offer.—
Ruth Fremson,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
Noun
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Few among the bureaucratic, business, and even military elites denounced the mutineers, exposing limited support for Putin.—
ANDREI YAKOVLEV,
Foreign Affairs,
16 May 2025
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The games remain incomplete, and may in fact remain that way depending on what the Front Man decides to do with Gi-hun and all of the other mutineers.—
Josh Wigler,
The Hollywood Reporter,
2 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Deporting supposed gang members and Hamas supporters without due process may violate any number of statutes, but forcing oppositionists to defend these people’s rights allows the administration to paint them as defending their ideas.—
Garry Kasparov,
The Atlantic,
17 Apr. 2025
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Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is a Sunni Islamist umbrella group of oppositionist forces with ideological and organizational roots in al-Qaeda.—
Joseph Epstein,
Newsweek,
10 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Insubordinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insubordinate. Accessed 28 Jun. 2025.
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