rebelling
Defying the authorities
Rebelling is actively resisting or defying authority, convention, or control.
The word implies ongoing action—someone in the midst of opposition: The colonies were rebelling against the crown.
It extends beyond political revolt to personal resistance: She's rebelling against her parents' expectations.
A rebelling teenager pushes back; a rebelling body rejects treatment.
Organized resistance to power
- insurrectionViolent uprising against authority
- mutinyRevolt against authority
- guerrilla warfareIrregular combat using ambushes
- armed resistanceOrganized violent opposition
coup · insurgents · partisans · freedom fighters · militia · separatists · paramilitaries · underground movement
Forcible removal from power
- revoltOrganized resistance to power
- revolutionarySeeking fundamental systemic change
- regime changeReplacement of governing power
- topplingCausing to collapse
radical change · upheaval · storming · overthrowing · class struggle · radicalism · subversion · anarchy
Refusal to follow orders
- insubordinationDefying workplace authority
- noncomplianceFailure to follow requirements
- talking backRude reply to authority
- unrulinessDifficult to manage behavior
willfulness · obstinacy · stubbornness · contrariness · recalcitrance · waywardness · acting out · transgressing
Public display of opinion
- marchingRhythmic group walking
- rallyGathering for a cause
- boycottOrganized economic protest
- sit-inProtest by remaining seated
picketing · activism · civil disobedience · chanting · placards · striking · walkout · occupation
Expressing distress behaviorally
- angstDeep unfocused worry
- generational conflictTension between age groups
- running awayRapid departure from danger
- sneaking outDeparting covertly, undetected
counterculture · punk · alternative lifestyle · dropping out · phase · identity formation · coming of age · grounding
Opposing when attacked
- opposingStanding against something
- pushbackResistance to something proposed
- struggleLabored effort against resistance
- defyingActively refusing obedience
challenging · rejecting · holding out · counteraction · obstruction · undermining · sabotage · noncompliance
Control over one's fate
- independenceFreedom from external control
- liberationRelease from constraint
- emancipationRelease from legal bondage
- freedomAbsence of constraint
self-governance · breaking free · self-rule · sovereignty · personal agency · self-direction · empowerment · individualism
uprising
Organized resistance to power
- insurrectionViolent uprising against authority
- mutinyRevolt against authority
- guerrilla warfareIrregular combat using ambushes
armed resistance · coup · insurgents · partisans · freedom fighters · militia · separatists · paramilitaries · underground movement · cell
overthrow
Forcible removal from power
- revoltOrganized resistance to power
- revolutionarySeeking fundamental systemic change
- regime changeReplacement of governing power
toppling · radical change · upheaval · storming · overthrowing · class struggle · radicalism · subversion · anarchy · social upheaval
disobedience
Refusal to follow orders
- insubordinationDefying workplace authority
- noncomplianceFailure to follow requirements
- talking backRude reply to authority
unruliness · willfulness · obstinacy · stubbornness · contrariness · recalcitrance · waywardness · acting out · transgressing · rule-breaking
demonstration
Public display of opinion
sit-in · picketing · activism · civil disobedience · chanting · placards · striking · walkout · occupation · hunger strike
acting out
Expressing distress behaviorally
- angstDeep unfocused worry
- generational conflictTension between age groups
- running awayRapid departure from danger
sneaking out · counterculture · punk · alternative lifestyle · dropping out · phase · identity formation · coming of age · grounding · attitude
fighting back
Opposing when attacked
- opposingStanding against something
- pushbackResistance to something proposed
- struggleLabored effort against resistance
defying · challenging · rejecting · holding out · counteraction · obstruction · undermining · sabotage · noncompliance · passive resistance
self-determination
Control over one's fate
- independenceFreedom from external control
- liberationRelease from constraint
- emancipationRelease from legal bondage
freedom · self-governance · breaking free · self-rule · sovereignty · personal agency · self-direction · empowerment · individualism · casting off
- interactionstalking, sharing, greeting, helping, listening
- standing upstanding up, standing ground, speaking out, speaking truth, fighting back
- troublemakingtroublemaker, troublemaking, instigate, agitator, instigating
rebellingobeying
Following directives given
submitting · complying · conforming · yielding · deferring
rebellingconforming
Meeting accepted standards
complying · fitting in · going along · assimilating · following the crowd
rebellingagreeing
Sharing the same view
cooperating · harmonizing · accepting · concurring · making peace
- rebellious spiritDisposition against compliance
- teenage rebellionAdolescent resistance to authority
- teen rebellionAdolescent resistance to authority
- rebellious teenagerAuthority-resisting young person
- slave rebellionsUprisings by enslaved people
- armed rebellionViolent resistance to authority
rebellion, rebellious, rebellions, rebelliousness, rebelliously