Standard Lemma guide

insurgent

adj · noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ɪnˈsəːdʒ(ə)nt/
  • US: /ɪnˈsəɹd͡ʒənt/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)dʒənt
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N S ER1 JH AH0 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Rebellious, opposing authority.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of water: surging or rushing in.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

One of several people who take up arms against the local state authority; a participant in insurgency.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

in opposition to a civil authority or government

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: seditious, subversive

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a member of an irregular armed force that fights a stronger force by sabotage and harassment

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: guerrilla, guerilla, irregular

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: warrior

Narrower terms: Maquis, Maquisard, urban guerrilla

6

noun

Meaning 6

a person who takes part in an armed rebellion against the constituted authority (especially in the hope of improving conditions)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: insurrectionist, freedom fighter, rebel

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: reformer, reformist, crusader, social reformer, meliorist, revolutionist, revolutionary, subversive, subverter

Narrower terms: mutineer, Young Turk, Turner, Nat Turner, Vesey, Denmark Vesey, Wallace, Sir William Wallace

History

Etymology

From Latin īnsurgentem, accusative singular of īnsurgēns, present active participle of īnsurgō (“to rise up against, revolt”), from in (“against”) + surgō (“to rise”), itself from sub (“up from below”) + regō (“to guide, direct, rule, govern, administer”), from Proto-Indo-European *h3reǵ- (“to move in a straight line, to rule, guide, lead straight, put right”).

Across languages

Translations

125 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: ապստամբած (apstambac) — rebellious
  • Armenian: ապստամբ (apstamb) — rebellious
  • Bulgarian: бунтовен (buntoven) — rebellious
  • Bulgarian: бунтовнически (buntovničeski) — rebellious
  • Catalan: insurgent — rebellious
  • Czech: vzbouřený — rebellious
  • Czech: vzbouřenecký — rebellious
  • Czech: povstalecký — rebellious
  • Danish: oprørsk — rebellious
  • Dutch: opstandig — rebellious
  • Finnish: kapinallinen — rebellious
  • French: insurgé — rebellious
  • Georgian: მეამბოხეთა (meamboxeta) — rebellious
  • German: aufständisch — rebellious
  • German: aufrührerisch — rebellious
  • Japanese: 謀叛 (muhon) — rebellious
  • Japanese: 反逆 (hangyaku) — rebellious
  • Khmer: ដែលបះបោរ (dael bah bao) — rebellious
  • Latin: rebellis — rebellious
  • Norwegian Bokmål: opprørsk — rebellious
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: opprørsk — rebellious
  • Polish: rebeliancki — rebellious
  • Polish: powstańczy — rebellious
  • Portuguese: insurgente — rebellious
  • Russian: мяте́жный (mjatéžnyj) — rebellious
  • Russian: восста́вший (vosstávšij) — rebellious
  • Russian: разбушева́вшийся (razbuševávšijsja) — rebellious
  • Spanish: insurgente — rebellious
  • Welsh: gwrthryfelgar — rebellious
  • Arabic: مُتَمَرِّد (mutamarrid) — rebel
  • Arabic: ثَائِر (ṯāʔir) — rebel
  • Arabic: عَاصٍ (ʕāṣin) — rebel
  • Arabic: عُصَاة (ʕuṣāh) — rebel
  • Armenian: ապստամբ (apstamb) — rebel
  • Azerbaijani: üsyançı — rebel
  • Belarusian: бунтаўшчы́к (buntawščýk) — rebel
  • Belarusian: паўста́нец (pawstánjec) — rebel
  • Belarusian: бунта́р (buntár) — rebel
  • Bengali: বিদ্রোহী (bidrōhi) — rebel
  • Bulgarian: мете́жник (metéžnik) — rebel
  • Bulgarian: въста́ник (vǎstánik) — rebel
  • Bulgarian: бунто́вник (buntóvnik) — rebel
  • Bulgarian: бунта́р (buntár) — rebel
  • Catalan: insurgent — rebel
  • Chechen: гӏаттамхо (ğattamxo) — rebel
  • Chinese Mandarin: 反叛份子 (fǎnpàn fènzi) — rebel
  • Chinese Mandarin: 起義者 /起义者 (qǐyìzhě) — rebel
  • Chinese Mandarin: 叛亂者 /叛乱者 (pànluànzhě) — rebel
  • Chinese Mandarin: 造反者 (zàofǎnzhě) — rebel
  • Czech: povstalec — rebel
  • Czech: vzbouřenec — rebel
  • Danish: oprører — rebel
  • Dutch: opstandeling — rebel
  • Dutch: rebel — rebel
  • Finnish: kapinallinen — rebel
  • French: insurgé — rebel
  • French: insurgée — rebel
  • Georgian: მეამბოხე (meamboxe) — rebel
  • German: Aufständischer — rebel
  • German: Insurgent — rebel
  • Greek: αντάρτης (antártis) — rebel
  • Greek: επαναστάτης (epanastátis) — rebel
  • Hebrew: מתקומם (mitkomaym) — rebel
  • Hindi: बाग़ी (bāġī) — rebel
  • Hindi: विद्रोही (vidrohī) — rebel
  • Hungarian: felkelő — rebel
  • Indonesian: pendurhaka — rebel
  • Italian: insorto — rebel
  • Italian: insorta — rebel
  • Japanese: 謀叛人 (muhonnin) — rebel
  • Japanese: 反逆者 (hangyakusha) — rebel
  • Kazakh: көтерілісші (köterılısşı) — rebel
  • Khmer: អ្នកបះបោរ (nĕək bah bao) — rebel
  • Khmer: កុបករ (kopaʼkɑɑ) — rebel
  • Korean: 반역자 (banyeokja) — rebel
  • Kyrgyz: көтөрүлүшчү (kötörülüşcü) — rebel
  • Kyrgyz: козголоңчу (kozgoloŋcu) — rebel
  • Lao: ກະບົດ (ka bot) — rebel
  • Lao: ຜູ້ກໍ່ເຫດ (phū kǭ hēt) — rebel
  • Latin: rebellis — rebel
  • Macedonian: бунтовник (buntovnik) — rebel
  • Macedonian: востаник (vostanik) — rebel
  • Māori: hauhau — rebel
  • Mongolian: босогч (bosogč) — rebel
  • Norwegian Bokmål: opprører — rebel
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: opprørar — rebel
  • Iranian Persian: شورِشی (šureši) — rebel
  • Polish: rebeliant — rebel
  • Polish: rebeliantka — rebel
  • Polish: powstaniec — rebel
  • Polish: powstańczyni — rebel
  • Polish: powstanka — rebel
  • Portuguese: insurgente — rebel
  • Russian: мяте́жник (mjatéžnik) — rebel
  • Russian: повста́нец (povstánec) — rebel
  • Russian: бунтовщи́к (buntovščík) — rebel
  • Russian: инсурге́нт (insurgént) — rebel
  • Serbo-Croatian: побуњѐнӣк — rebel
  • Serbo-Croatian: побуњѐница — rebel
  • Serbo-Croatian: у̀станӣк — rebel
  • Serbo-Croatian: у̀станица — rebel
  • Serbo-Croatian: pobunjènīk — rebel
  • Serbo-Croatian: pobunjènica — rebel
  • Serbo-Croatian: ùstanīk — rebel
  • Serbo-Croatian: ùstanica — rebel
  • Serbo-Croatian: bùntōvnīk — rebel
  • Serbo-Croatian: bùntōvnica — rebel
  • Slovak: povstalec — rebel
  • Slovak: burič — rebel
  • Slovak: vzbúrenec — rebel
  • Slovene: upornik — rebel
  • Spanish: insurgente — rebel
  • Tajik: исёнгар (isyongar) — rebel
  • Tajik: шӯришгар (šürišgar) — rebel
  • Tajik: шӯришӣ (šüriši) — rebel
  • Thai: กบฏ (gà-bòt) — rebel
  • Turkish: isyancı — rebel
  • Ukrainian: повста́нець (povstánecʹ) — rebel
  • Ukrainian: бунтівни́к (buntivnýk) — rebel
  • Ukrainian: бунта́р (buntár) — rebel
  • Ukrainian: інсурге́нт (insurhént) — rebel
  • Urdu: باغی (bāġī) — rebel
  • Uzbek: isyonchi — rebel
  • Vietnamese: người khởi nghĩa — rebel
  • Welsh: gwrthryfelwr — rebel