as in rebel
a person who thinks that a nation, state, etc., should separate from another and become independent
A growing group of secessionists are pushing for the independence of the region.
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Recent Examples of secessionist
In 1994: Russian tanks and troops invaded its largely Muslim territory Chechnya to try to quash the secessionist rebellion after a three-year push for independence that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union.
—
Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 11 Dec. 2024
Recognizing Somaliland would undoubtedly rattle the rump state of Somalia, further destabilize the Horn, and elicit a sharp rebuke from the African Union, which has long opposed secessionist movements.
—Ken Opalo, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2024
Pablo Simón, political science professor at Carlos III University in Madrid, said that the secessionist movement was in a period of uncertain transition.
—Joseph Wilson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 May 2024
One of his buildings, a five-story secessionist structure, housed a restaurant called JB Restavracija.
—Ellen Ruppel Shell, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for secessionist
Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 11 Dec. 2024
Recognizing Somaliland would undoubtedly rattle the rump state of Somalia, further destabilize the Horn, and elicit a sharp rebuke from the African Union, which has long opposed secessionist movements.
—Ken Opalo, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2024
Pablo Simón, political science professor at Carlos III University in Madrid, said that the secessionist movement was in a period of uncertain transition.
—Joseph Wilson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 May 2024
One of his buildings, a five-story secessionist structure, housed a restaurant called JB Restavracija.
—Ellen Ruppel Shell, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for secessionist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for secessionist
Noun
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On the battlefield, the nobles’ cavalry and superior artillery brutally cut down the rebels.—
Michael Bruening,
The Conversation,
25 Feb. 2025
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The rebels on Friday also claimed to have seized a second airport in the region, in the town of Kavumu outside Bukavu.—
JUSTIN KABUMBA,
arkansasonline.com,
16 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Armen Sarkisyan, founder of the Ukrainian separatist group Arbat Battalion that fights for Russia, was killed in a grenade blast at an elite residential building in Moscow.—
Anders Fogh Rasmussen,
Newsweek,
5 Feb. 2025
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Chinese forces largely defeated the Uyghur separatist group known as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) a decade ago in Xinjiang but its offshoot, the Turkestan Islamic Party, continues to operate in Afghanistan and Syria.—
John Yoo and John Shu,
Newsweek,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Britain, under the comparatively liberal Keir Starmer, has a rather more niche anxiety: that its citizens will leave and then return as insurgents.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
24 Jan. 2025
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Pakistani security forces killed 27 insurgents during a raid on a militant hideout, according to a statement from the country's military.—
John Mac Ghlionn,
Newsweek,
13 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Secessionist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/secessionist. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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