Synonyms of rebellious

rebellious

adjective

ri-ˈbel-yəs 

1

as in insurgent

taking part in a rebellion

the rebellious troops fought a pitched battle with divisions still loyal to the government

Synonyms & Similar Words

• insurgent
• traitorous
• revolutionary
• mutinous
• insurrectionary
• treacherous
• seditious
• treasonous
• defiant
• disobedient
• insubordinate
• demagogic
• agitating
• recalcitrant
• unruly
• restive
• rabble-rousing
• refractory
• intractable
• ungovernable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• loyal
• constant
• true
• steadfast
• staunch
• devoted
• obedient
• submissive
• true-blue
• compliant
• tractable

2

as in rebel

given to resisting authority or another's control

expected her son to grow a little more rebellious as he got older, but she knew he understood when to kick and when to obey

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rebel
• defiant
• stubborn
• willful
• disobedient
• unruly
• wayward
• mischievous
• insubordinate
• contrary
• naughty
• recalcitrant
• contumacious
• restive
• obstreperous
• rigid
• dogged
• dissident
• adamant
• refractory
• ungovernable
• intractable
• wild
• balky
• froward
• insurgent
• unrelenting
• untoward
• uncontrollable
• recusant
• resistant
• mutinous
• bad
• rude
• incompliant
• uncooperative
• obstinate
• headstrong
• opinionated
• uncompromising
• peevish
• negativistic
• noncooperative
• implacable
• hardheaded
• unbending
• obdurate
• mulish
• fractious
• unmanageable
• unyielding
• undisciplined
• nonconformist
• inflexible
• pertinacious
• self-willed
• impudent
• insolent
• disorderly
• immovable
• perverse
• monkeying
• disrespectful
• wrongheaded
• pigheaded
• errant
• ornery
• adamantine
• uncouth
• inconsiderate
• ungracious
• discourteous
• impertinent
• uncivil
• misbehaving
• unmannerly
• impolite
• ill-mannered
• monkeyish
• ill-natured
• ill-bred

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• obedient
• docile
• submissive
• cooperative
• amiable
• compliant
• amenable
• tractable
• conformable
• agreeable
• acquiescent
• deferential
• behaved
• disciplined
• respectful
• biddable
• well-bred
• yielding
• polite
• courteous
• obliging
• servile
• ruly
• subservient
• slavish
• obsequious
• orderly
• proper
• decorous
• controllable
• manageable
• mannerly
• trainable
• kowtowing
• governable

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of rebellious

The tech world has always had a self-consciously rebellious relationship with societal norms. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2026

Costarring Katey Sagal, Amy Davidson, James Garner, and David Spade, the series followed the futile attempts of Ritter’s Paul Hennessy and Sagal’s Cate Hennessy to tame their rebellious teenage daughter, Bridget (Cuoco). — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026

Twenty-nine years have passed since then, yet the memory of the princess—an empathetic woman who defied convention, vulnerable yet rebellious, and imbued with a profound humanity—remains vivid and very much alive in the eyes of the entire world. — Laura Scafati, Vanity Fair, 31 Aug. 2026

Andrew Garfield is not just a rebellious peasant in his upcoming action period drama. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026