guerilla
Unconventional hidden fighter
Guerrilla is the standard spelling, but guerilla appears frequently enough to be considered a variant.
A guerrilla is a member of an irregular armed force that uses tactics like ambushes, sabotage, and hit-and-run attacks rather than conventional warfare: guerrilla fighters, guerrilla warfare.
Extended to any unconventional, scrappy approach: guerrilla marketing, guerrilla gardening.
Surprise strike from concealment
- hit-and-runLeaving after causing collision
- tacticsMethods to achieve goals
- sabotageDeliberate disruption of operations
- raidsSudden armed attacks
jungle warfare · urban warfare · asymmetric · irregular · camouflage · skirmish · booby-trap · sniper
One who revolts
- rebelAuthority defier
- combatantOne who fights
- militiaNon-professional armed force
- revolutionarySeeking fundamental systemic change
uprising · insurrection · armed struggle · counterinsurgency · recruit · stronghold · territory · faction
Biased toward one side
- maquisMediterranean coastal scrub
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
- liberationRelease from constraint
- occupationOne's regular paid work
sabotage · clandestine · subversion · cell · network · safe house · courier · cipher
Organized resistance to power
- revoltOrganized resistance to power
- coupAbrupt seizure of power
- overthrowForcible removal from power
- radicalRoot-indicating symbol
Marxism · Leninism · Maoism · Che Guevara · Fidel Castro · Zapata · cadre · vanguard
Departing from standard practice
- viralSpreading quickly online
- streetPublic urban roadway
- stuntDangerous feat for spectacle
- buzzContinuous low drone
grassroots · low-budget · flash mob · sticker · graffiti · projection · pop-up · word-of-mouth
Aggressively spirited despite odds
- resourcefulSkilled at solving problems
- outmatchedInferior to one's opponent
- asymmetricNot identical on both sides
- improvisedCreated without prior planning
resilient · determined · outnumbered · defiant · nimble · adaptive · tenacious · ragtag
ambush
Surprise strike from concealment
- hit-and-runLeaving after causing collision
- tacticsMethods to achieve goals
- sabotageDeliberate disruption of operations
raids · jungle warfare · urban warfare · asymmetric · irregular · camouflage · skirmish · booby-trap · sniper · demolition
insurgent
One who revolts
revolutionary · uprising · insurrection · armed struggle · counterinsurgency · recruit · stronghold · territory · faction · warlord
partisan
Biased toward one side
- maquisMediterranean coastal scrub
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
- liberationRelease from constraint
occupation · sabotage · clandestine · subversion · cell · network · safe house · courier · cipher · leaflet
uprising
Organized resistance to power
radical · Marxism · Leninism · Maoism · Che Guevara · Fidel Castro · Zapata · cadre · vanguard · manifesto
unconventional
Departing from standard practice
buzz · grassroots · low-budget · flash mob · sticker · graffiti · projection · pop-up · word-of-mouth · disruptive
scrappy
Aggressively spirited despite odds
- resourcefulSkilled at solving problems
- outmatchedInferior to one's opponent
- asymmetricNot identical on both sides
improvised · resilient · determined · outnumbered · defiant · nimble · adaptive · tenacious · ragtag · makeshift
guerillaregular army
Nation's permanent military force
standing army · conventional forces · professional soldier · line infantry · mechanized infantry
- guerilla tacticsAsymmetric combat by mobile fighters
- guerilla warfareUnconventional combat by irregulars