insurgent

1 of 2

noun

in·​sur·​gent in-ˈsər-jənt How to pronounce insurgent (audio)
1
: a person who revolts against civil authority or an established government
especially : a rebel not recognized as a belligerent
2
: one who acts contrary to the policies and decisions of one's own political party

insurgent

2 of 2

adjective

: rising in opposition to civil authority or established leadership : rebellious
insurgently adverb

Did you know?

Is insurgent a new word?

Insurgent is not a particularly novel coinage; it has been in use as both a noun and an adjective for well over 200 years. Appearances of the word began to spike in the early 21st century, however, due to a combination of factors (including the appearance of such combatants in conflicts and the desire among journalists to avoid words that might seem biased, such as terrorist or freedom fighter).

The definition of the noun, which includes the phrase “a rebel not recognized as a belligerent,” refers to a specific sense of belligerent: “belonging to or recognized as an organized military power protected by and subject to the laws of war.”

Examples of insurgent in a Sentence

Noun Insurgents are trying to gain control of the country's transportation system. the government subjected the insurgents to the most inhuman torture imaginable Adjective any insurgent soldiers will be dealt with harshly
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Still, there’s an insurgent air about this collection. Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 1 Feb. 2024 Her images capture the rising smoke of artillery fire and bolts of lights descending from air bombs during war games, barracks scrawled in faux Arabic to mimic scenes in the field, and young soldiers role-playing — some American heroes, others enemy insurgents. Dan Q. Dao, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024 Since October, the Tatmadaw, as the military is known, has suffered personnel losses while battling a coordinated offensive by an alliance of three ethnic-minority insurgent groups, allied with pro-democracy fighters. Reuters, NBC News, 14 Feb. 2024 There are no known insurgent groups operating in that province, home to the Bakhtiari, a branch of Iran's Lur ethnic group. Jon Gambrell The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 15 Feb. 2024 So the question is, can Murphy capitalize on her fundraising prowess and support from the party infrastructure, or can Kim win as something of an insurgent with far more small-dollar support? Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 2 Feb. 2024 At one point, insurgents kidnapped Méndez Ruiz — then a college student — and held him for two months. Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post, 1 Dec. 2023 Pakistan conducted a series of military strikes Thursday morning against insurgents operating in Iran in response to a deadly bombing in the southwestern Pakistani province of Baluchistan on Tuesday. Elizabeth Pritchett, Fox News, 18 Jan. 2024 But the Afghan Taliban are no longer an insurgent group dependent on Pakistani safe havens and Islamabad’s goodwill. Aqil Shah, Foreign Affairs, 9 Jan. 2024
Adjective
Wall Street was once the enemy of the insurgent crypto industry, but after a bruising 18 months of bankruptcies and arrests, crypto proponents have greeted the collaboration between Coinbase and BlackRock as a potential salvation. David Yaffe-Bellany, New York Times, 11 Dec. 2023 The pivotal election is shaping up to be one of the most fractured in Taiwan’s democratic history as an insurgent third candidate party challenges a traditionally two-party system. Vic Chiang, Washington Post, 28 Nov. 2023 For the past two decades, Cornel West has traveled the nation’s political back roads, making provocative comments and acting as a surrogate for insurgent Democratic presidential contenders. Ken Thomas, WSJ, 5 Oct. 2023 In February 1980, former California Gov. Ronald Reagan, then an insurgent candidate from the party's ultraconservative wing, decided to pay for a debate in Nashua, New Hampshire. David Faris, The Week, 21 Aug. 2023 A number of the looks that have made Sofia Richie-Grainge an insurgent style icon came from Waller's sleuthing, including an Old Celine off-the-shoulder dress from the house's 2017 fall runway collection. Halie Lesavage, Harper's BAZAAR, 28 July 2023 As a guerrilla leader who helped raise an insurgent army from a bus stop outside JFK8, Mr. Smalls had been dazzlingly effective. Noam Scheiber, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2023 That could cause problems for Republicans, because insurgent candidates typically don’t win statewide or swing-district races. Dallas News, 9 Jan. 2023 In recent years, Tehran sought to play both sides of the Afghan civil war, supporting the Kabul government while also maintaining ties to the insurgent Taliban. Ian Talley, WSJ, 25 Aug. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'insurgent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin insurgent-, insurgens, present participle of insurgere to rise up, from in- + surgere to rise — more at surge

First Known Use

Noun

1765, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1807, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of insurgent was in 1765

Dictionary Entries Near insurgent

Cite this Entry

“Insurgent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insurgent. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

insurgent

1 of 2 noun
in·​sur·​gent in-ˈsər-jənt How to pronounce insurgent (audio)
: a person who revolts : rebel

insurgent

2 of 2 adjective

Legal Definition

insurgent

1 of 2 noun
in·​sur·​gent in-ˈsər-jənt How to pronounce insurgent (audio)
1
: a person who rises in revolt against civil authority or an established government
especially : one not recognized as a belligerent
2
: one that acts contrary to the established leadership (as of a political party, union, or corporation) or its decisions and policies

insurgent

2 of 2 adjective
: rising in opposition to civil or political authority or against an established government

More from Merriam-Webster on insurgent

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