rebel
noun · verb
Simple meaning
Someone who resists an established authority, often violently.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
rehbuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
noun: rebuhlverb: rihbel
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɹɛbəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A person who resists an established authority, often violently.
A person who takes part in an armed rebellion against the constituted authority (especially in the hope of improving conditions)
us
A Confederate soldier; of the American Civil War.
verb
intransitive
To resist or become defiant toward an authority.
intransitivepolitics
To forcefully subvert the law of the land in an attempt to replace it with another form of government.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A person who takes part in an armed rebellion against the constituted authority (especially in the hope of improving conditions)
Used this way, rebel is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It carries warmth, so it reads as personal rather than detached.
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Hopeful and forward-looking
- Usage feel
- Warm and expressive
Nearby words
- insurrectionist , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use rebel
- “He always tries to rebel against the rules and expectations.”
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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: person who resists an established authority
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.