REBELLIOUSNESS Synonyms: 64 Similar and Opposite Words

rebelliousness

noun

Definition of rebelliousness

as in rebellion

refusal to obey her habitual rebelliousness eventually landed her in the principal's office

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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 rebelliousness The stigma helped imprint a stamp of rebelliousness on the brand which lives on today, says Carpenter, even as Burton has become a fixture on resort slopes across the world and within the annals of Olympian history. — Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026 Whether writing five decades ago or today, the genre’s most insightful commentators have always observed how punk fuses rebelliousness with commodification, capitalism with resistance. — Kyle Devine, Longreads, 14 July 2026 Marji’s rebelliousness, both admirable and terrifying for those who love her, is her salient characteristic. — Hillary Chute, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026 The pseudo-goth hair and costume choices speak to an inner rebelliousness that isn’t so much unleashed as forced loose by a system that values the appearance of a mythical impartiality over her humanity, leaving her with little recourse but to step outside the confines of the law. — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 23 Feb. 2026 The natural obstinacy and rebelliousness of Israa’s teenage years are hyperaccelerated by culture clashes with both her family and the other kids around her. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2026 This transit stokes your sense of independence and even rebelliousness, inspiring you to strike out against convention and innovate more than ever. — Maressa Brown, InStyle, 9 Jan. 2026 At times, Carol’s admirable rebelliousness seems to come at the cost of self-flagellating destruction, a badge of honor to be miserable. — Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 8 Nov. 2025 The rebelliousness can be witnessed in everything from its ’70s-in-California style to the very naming conventions Mother chooses for its viral products — adored by A-listers like Gigi Hadid, Chrissy Teigen, Millie Bobby Brown, and more. — Kristina Rutkowski, Footwear News, 22 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebelliousness

Noun

At this point, my rebellion had evolved to become more than just a quiet resistance.

— Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 13 Oct. 2026
In such trivial moments of rebellion, the seeds of resistance are sown.

— Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of rebellion

Noun

Taking the Long Way, more than anger or defiance, zeroes in on the sting of being ousted from your own home.

— Shaad D’Souza, Pitchfork, 11 Oct. 2026
The other half is captured in DuVernay’s fascinating portrait of the Lost Cause — the culture of defiance and regret and literal whitewashing that came to represent the Southern consciousness of what life had been before the Civil War.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of defiance

Noun

And from that boredom, a different kind of will, the willfulness that accompanies a need to destroy that happiness.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
From grandmother to grandchild, these three sets of two sisters were powerful characters possessed with passion, willfulness, bravery, and devotion to each other.

— Griffin Dunne, Vanity Fair, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of willfulness

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rebellious

rebelliousness

rebels

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“Rebelliousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebelliousness. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of rebelliousness

noun

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