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
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
But even just with blueprints for the space, Culpepper tried to block out those moments in a way that made sense for the shifting power dynamics between would-be teacher and insubordinate student, alternating who appeared taller and more in control of the frame.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 21 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for insubordinate
Adjective
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
But even just with blueprints for the space, Culpepper tried to block out those moments in a way that made sense for the shifting power dynamics between would-be teacher and insubordinate student, alternating who appeared taller and more in control of the frame.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 21 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for insubordinate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insubordinate
Adjective
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On Wednesday, March 12, The Kardashians star was joined by her mother Kris Jenner for the latest episode of her Khloé in Wonderland podcast, where the two looked back at some of Khloé's rebellious childhood moments.—
Esther Kang,
People.com,
12 Mar. 2025
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Mickey, tasked with keeping her rebellious sister in line, never had the opportunity to be a kid.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The coming-of-age film tells the story of Ren (Bacon), a teen rebel who moves to a small Southern town that has outlawed dancing for religious reasons.—
Toria Sheffield,
People.com,
8 Mar. 2025
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Besides, the Caribbean strife was thwarting trade and endangering American lives and livelihoods in the region. McKinley, sympathetic toward the rebels but not wanting war with Spain, dispatched a prominent Illinois trial lawyer to Cuba to study the situation and report back.—
Robert W. Merry,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
After being yelled at, children often feel defiant, defensive, and disconnected from their parent.—
Daryl Austin,
Parents,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Their bleeding champion — at the time a former and future president — raises a defiant fist.—
John Scott Lewinski,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
While Syria's new rulers -- led by the Islamist former insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham -- have pursued IS cells since taking power, some fear a breakdown in overall security that could allow the group to stage a resurgence.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
15 Mar. 2025
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Turkey, a close ally of Mr. al-Shara’s rebel group, has for years sought to curb the power of the Syrian Democratic Forces, maintaining that the militia is linked to Kurdish separatist insurgents inside Turkey.—
Raja Abdulrahim,
New York Times,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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In the 1940s and ’50s, room-sized mainframe computers relied on thousands of vacuum tubes, resisters, capacitors and more.—
Gerui Wang,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
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Collaborators often became resisters, and vice versa.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
He’s been with them since the beginning, proving himself as a loyal friend and a valuable mutineer.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
7 Feb. 2025
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The mutineers requested political asylum but instead were imprisoned by the Cambodian government.—
Roberto Loiederman,
Baltimore Sun,
11 Jan. 2025
Noun
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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
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Within Russia, the oppositionists’ challenges are far greater.—
Michael Kimmage,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Insubordinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insubordinate. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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