INSURGENCY Synonyms: 21 Similar and Opposite Words

insurgency

noun

in-ˈsər-jən(t)-sē

Definition of insurgency

as in insurrection

open fighting against authority (as one's own government) there always seems to be insurgency of some type in that troubled country

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of insurgency His moves have led to hopes of eventual stability in a country that was wracked by civil war and the Islamic State insurgency that engulfed northeast and western Iraq for years. — Matthew Lee, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026 In contrast, some discount the 1960s dates and consider the start to be 1972, when the ZANLA insurgency began a new, more intense level of guerrilla fighting. — Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026 For instance, did the Soviets invade Afghanistan out of (a) fear of Muslim insurgency, (b) Iran-cognizant Realpolitik or (c) lust for a port on the Persian Gulf? — Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026 Balochistan has been the scene of a long-running insurgency in southwestern Pakistan with an array of separatist groups, including the BLA, demanding independence from Pakistan’s central government in Islamabad. — ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for insurgency

Recent Examples of Synonyms for insurgency

Noun

How is the Schaumburg Democrat grappling with that fateful outcome, while preparing to depart Congress after 10 tumultuous years, which included a pandemic, an insurrection and impeachment proceedings?

— Marni Pyke, Chicago Tribune, 13 Oct. 2026
The film argues that those foundational principles — along with the amendment’s prohibition against those who engage in insurrection serving as heads of state — have come under unprecedented pressure in recent years.

— Clayton Davis, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of insurrection

Noun

The 2022 Freedom Convoy began over vaccine requirements for cross-border truckers but grew into a broader revolt against pandemic restrictions.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
Advertisement The Yellow Vest revolt of 2018 to 2019 was an earlier social explosion of precisely that resentment.

— Nicholas Bequelin, Time, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of revolt

Noun

Gavras’s previous film, the magnificent Athena, was an action epic and family tragedy about an uprising at a French housing project.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
But Qaddafi’s military forces were decisively defeated by Western airpower and his objective of crushing a popular uprising by force was rendered impossible.

— Justin Bronk, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of uprising

Noun

Its leader, Sergei Mironov, 73, once gained headlines by posing with a symbol of brutality — a sledgehammer given to him by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the late Wagner mercenary leader shortly before his failed 2023 mutiny.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
Step aboard the Grampus, a whaleship gone adrift after a storm, rations running out and a violent mutiny, and learn what happened to its ghost whalers.

— Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of mutiny

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insurgencies

insurgency

insurgent

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“Insurgency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insurgency. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of insurgency

noun

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