rebellious
adjective
re·bel·lious
ri-ˈbel-yəs 
1
2
: resisting treatment or management : refractory
rebelliously
adverb
rebelliousness
noun
Examples of rebellious in a Sentence
the rebellious troops fought a pitched battle with divisions still loyal to the government
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
Recent Examples on the Web
This was astonishing—a sign of Lamar’s untouchability, and of growing pains for a rebellious genre that has become an institution.
—
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
In this return to Auradon Prep, former Villain Kid Uma is now headmaster, and extends an invitation to fellow Villian Kid Red, the rebellious daughter of the tyrannical Queen of Hearts from Wonderland.
—Rivea Ruff, Essence, 9 Apr. 2024
Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, played by Ortega, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic, accidentally opening the portal to the afterlife.
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024
Landlords wanting to attract young professionals once scrubbed off the rebellious scrawls.
—Isabella Kwai, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2024
The Florida Project: Set on the outskirts of Disney World, a young girl and her rebellious mother face the joys and struggles of living in poverty, dreaming of a better life amidst harsh realities.
—Travis Bean, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the afterlife is accidentally opened.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 22 Mar. 2024
In December, the rebellious member of the English monarchy won his phone-hacking lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mirror.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024
Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia's life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened.
—Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
In this return to Auradon Prep, former Villain Kid Uma is now headmaster, and extends an invitation to fellow Villian Kid Red, the rebellious daughter of the tyrannical Queen of Hearts from Wonderland.
—Rivea Ruff, Essence, 9 Apr. 2024
Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, played by Ortega, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic, accidentally opening the portal to the afterlife.
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024
Landlords wanting to attract young professionals once scrubbed off the rebellious scrawls.
—Isabella Kwai, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2024
The Florida Project: Set on the outskirts of Disney World, a young girl and her rebellious mother face the joys and struggles of living in poverty, dreaming of a better life amidst harsh realities.
—Travis Bean, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the afterlife is accidentally opened.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 22 Mar. 2024
In December, the rebellious member of the English monarchy won his phone-hacking lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mirror.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024
Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia's life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened.
—Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rebellious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near rebellious
Cite this Entry
“Rebellious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rebellious. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rebellious
adjective
re·bel·lious
ri-ˈbel-yəs
1
: taking part in rebellion
2
: tending to fight against or disobey authority
rebelliously
adverb
rebelliousness
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share