Synonyms for insubordinate
- adjective
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
2. Disobedient
disobedient, rebellious, mutinous, unruly, insolent, seditious, defiant, stubborn, recalcitrant, factious, ungovernable, insurrectionary, insurgent, refractory, contumacious, unsubmissive, headstrong, perverse, intractable, turbulent
Definitions
- adj. 1
Rebellious or defiant to authority; contumacious.
Choose the right word
Insubordinate applies to the disposition to resist and resent control as such; mutinous, to open defiance of authority, especially in the army, navy, or merchant marine.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- rebellious Among the people, rebellious sentiments are growing.
- disobedient Disobedient boys can not be happy in this world.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| insubordinate | steady | |
| rebellious | rising | |
| disobedient | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 6 letters
- unruly3
- 7 letters
- defiant3
- 8 letters
- stubborn2, perverse2, insolent3, mutinous3, factious
- 9 letters
- resistant3, turbulent3, insurgent3, resistive, seditious3
- 10 letters
- rebellious3, refractory4, headstrong2
- 11 letters
- intractable4, disobedient5
- 12 letters
- recalcitrant4, ungovernable5, contumacious, unsubmissive
- 15 letters
- insurrectionary
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (unruly3 = 3 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- insubordonné