uprising 1 of 2

uprising

2 of 2

verb

present participle of uprise

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun uprising differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of uprising are insurrection, mutiny, rebellion, revolt, and revolution. While all these words mean "an outbreak against authority," uprising implies a brief, limited, and often immediately ineffective rebellion.

quickly put down the uprising

When would mutiny be a good substitute for uprising?

The words mutiny and uprising are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, mutiny applies to group insubordination or insurrection especially against naval authority.

a mutiny led by the ship's cook

When could rebellion be used to replace uprising?

The meanings of rebellion and uprising largely overlap; however, rebellion implies an open formidable resistance that is often unsuccessful.

open rebellion against the officers

How are the words revolt and insurrection related as synonyms of uprising?

Both revolt and insurrection imply an armed uprising that quickly fails or succeeds.

a revolt by the Young Turks that surprised party leaders
an insurrection of oppressed laborers

Where would revolution be a reasonable alternative to uprising?

In some situations, the words revolution and uprising are roughly equivalent. However, revolution applies to a successful rebellion resulting in a major change (as in government).

a political revolution that toppled the monarchy

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of uprising
Noun
Demonstrations first erupted in the country on September 25 over water and power shortages and quickly escalated into an uprising over broader grievances, including corruption, bad governance and a lack of basic services. CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025 Within minutes the uprising was widespread. Michael Collins, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025 Barghouti has spent more than 20 years in prison and is serving five life sentences after his 2004 conviction for the murder of four Israelis and a Greek Orthodox monk during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising. Yamiche Alcindor, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2025 The words that had been burned to ashes in 1947, during the uprising against French colonial rule. Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for uprising
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uprising
Noun
  • Behind all of the concern about the mental health of Ukrainian children lurks a bigger question regarding the generations too young to have taken part in the unifying 2014 revolt against Russia.
    Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Former Roanoke women's swim captain Lily Mullens, who led an athlete revolt against the program in 2023 that culminated in a press conference and lawsuit, told Fox News Digital her reaction to Spanberger's answer.
    Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Wealthier Americans have been assisted by rising house values, lucrative stock market returns and favorable credit, while lower- and middle-income buyers have faced tighter budgets and have been hit hard by rising inflation.
    Michael Wayland, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2025
  • With rising tuition, heavy student debt, and a shaky job market, more young workers are rethinking the four-year degree and turning to faster and cheaper routes to a steady career.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The barely there silhouette retails from $795 for core colorways, like Reinhart’s black pair, climbing to $950 for textured finishes like red, gold and green snakeskin.
    Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2025
  • At an elementary school in southwest Boise, in the fall of 2020, children in pre-K went to their recess on the playground, laughing and climbing ladders to reach the slide.
    Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 15 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • There has to be an insurrection in order for him to be allowed to invoke it.
    ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2025
  • First passed in 1792, the federal law gives presidents the power to deploy the military domestically under certain conditions, such as civil disorder, insurrection and armed rebellion.
    Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • This notion supports the continuity hypothesis of dreaming, which proposes that dream content often reflects aspects of a person’s waking life.
    Stacey Colino, Time, 21 Oct. 2025
  • The wife, who’d been fixated on the cages, shook with a startle, as if waking from a dream.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • When Manning signed with the Broncos during free agency in 2012, Thomas’ presence as a young, ascending receiver was an important part of the calculus.
    Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
  • The title theme’s steadily ascending line, mirroring the claustrophobic tension within the sub, became a signature motif.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 18 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • In small towns and farm communities across Illinois, a quiet rebellion is taking shape.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
  • The daughter of a severely disapproving dentist (Ulrich Tukur) who witnessed World War II from the heart of Germany and still seems to think that women’s lib is the worst thing that’s ever happened to his country, Vera is a perfect vessel for rebellion.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The European Union, for example, just started rolling out a new Entry and Exit System (EES) in which travelers use biometric data to gain entry to 29 European countries.
    Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Laura Modiano, who heads up OpenAI's startups division in EMEA, drew a comparison between American and European founders based on her extensive work with founders across both regions and rolling out AI features.
    Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 11 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Uprising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uprising. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

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