REVOLUTION Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'revolution' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of revolution are insurrection , mutiny , rebellion , revolt , and uprising . While all these words mean "an outbreak against authority," revolution applies to a successful rebellion resulting in a major change (as in government). // a political revolution that toppled the monarchy

Q: When is 'mutiny' a more appropriate choice than 'revolution'?

Although the words mutiny and revolution have much in common, mutiny applies to group insubordination or insurrection especially against naval authority. // a mutiny led by the ship's cook

Q: When would 'rebellion' be a good substitute for 'revolution'?

The meanings of rebellion and revolution largely overlap; however, rebellion implies an open formidable resistance that is often unsuccessful. // open rebellion against the officers

Q: How are the words 'revolt' and 'insurrection' related as synonyms of 'revolution'?

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

Q: When could 'uprising' be used to replace 'revolution'?

The words uprising and revolution are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, uprising implies a brief, limited, and often immediately ineffective rebellion. // quickly put down the uprising

revolution

noun

ˌre-və-ˈlü-shən

Definition of revolution

as in rotation

a rapid turning about on an axis or central point revved the engine to 3000 revolutions per minute

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in revolt

open fighting against authority (as one's own government) the revolution by which the American colonies gained their independence from Great Britain necessitated going up against the world's most powerful army

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun revolution differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of revolution are insurrection, mutiny, rebellion, revolt, and uprising. While all these words mean "an outbreak against authority," revolution applies to a successful rebellion resulting in a major change (as in government).

a political revolution that toppled the monarchy

When is mutiny a more appropriate choice than revolution?

Although the words mutiny and revolution have much in common, mutiny applies to group insubordination or insurrection especially against naval authority.

a mutiny led by the ship's cook

When would rebellion be a good substitute for revolution?

The meanings of rebellion and revolution 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 revolution?

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

When could uprising be used to replace revolution?

The words uprising and revolution are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, uprising implies a brief, limited, and often immediately ineffective rebellion.

quickly put down the uprising

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 revolution San Francisco gets tougher on crime When my truck was stolen in 2022, San Francisco was in the midst of a revolution in its approach to crime. — Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 2 Oct. 2026 Matthew McConaughey has echoed the idea that Hollywood cannot simply sit out the AI revolution. — Preston Fore, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026 What happens in the coming years will have worldwide implications as the AI revolution is shaped and shipped from the West Coast. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026 As this revolution unfolds, the debris-clearing, satellite-rescuing capabilities of RPOs could ensure the sky doesn’t fall, keeping the orbital environment safe and accessible for all. — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for revolution

Recent Examples of Synonyms for revolution

Noun

Officers are sent to this remote station on rotations of two or three months, with fresh water and food delivered weekly by trucks that make a five-hour journey across dusty desert roads.

— Nathan Jaccard, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
While Rubin’s most recent looks have been crafted by makeup artist Shayna Gold, whose A-list client rotation also includes Jennifer Lawrence and Grace Gummer, she has not been named as the visionary behind this one.

— Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of rotation

Noun

In my view, the government must get ahead of that curve by establishing a full-fledged Department of AI, rather than leaving it to a single individual.

— Yerbol Orynbayev, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2026
The more exaggerated interpretations, with oversized collars that swallow the chin or heavy embellishment, are the ones most at risk of looking dated once the search curve bends.

— Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of curve

Noun

Gómez Vergara’s documentary revisits Chile’s social uprising through a health brigade treating protesters injured by police repression, connecting present violence with dictatorship-era wounds.

— Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026
From 1896 to 1897, the region experienced what would come to be known as the First Chimurenga, a period of uprisings by the Indigenous Ndebele and Shona people against colonial policies.

— Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of uprising

Noun

The researchers placed them inside YbSb₂ and watched how their spins changed as the material crossed into its superconducting state.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
Sargent will take a spin in the spotlight as breakthrough director for Take Me Home, which was based on her short film of the same name about a woman caring for her aging parents.

— Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of spin

Noun

Amendment is also a constitution’s mechanism for the prevention of insurrection.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
As Port falls in with a group of conspirators preparing for the insurrection, the book takes on a hallucinatory, digressive quality, blurring the lines between life and death, reality and illusion.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of insurrection

Noun

The creators are describing the title as Inglourious Bastards, Quentin Tarantino’s down in the dirt revisionist World War Two movie, meets V for Vendetta, Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s anti-fascist British tale of rebellion.

— Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
To pair the piece with Celine’s more tailored pieces like the trousers and blouse added a tonal contrast that still executed on its luxury aesthetic, though with a touch of rebellion.

— Julia Teti, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of rebellion

Noun

Its leader, Sergei Mironov, 73, once gained headlines by posing with a symbol of brutality — a sledgehammer given to him by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the late Wagner mercenary leader shortly before his failed 2023 mutiny.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
Step aboard the Grampus, a whaleship gone adrift after a storm, rations running out and a violent mutiny, and learn what happened to its ghost whalers.

— Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of mutiny

Cite this Entry

Style

“Revolution.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/revolution. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of revolution

noun

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on revolution

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

inscrutable

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes