rebellious
Refusing to comply
Rebellious describes someone who resists or defies authority, rules, or convention.
A rebellious teenager challenges parents; a rebellious faction opposes the government.
The word carries connotations ranging from admirable independence to troublesome defiance, depending on context: She had a rebellious streak that made her question everything.
Rebellious can also describe things that resist control: rebellious hair that won't lie flat.
Openly resisting control
- resistantWithstanding external forces
- insubordinateDefying rightful authority
- recalcitrantStubbornly resistant to control
- obstinateFirmly refusing to yield
unyielding · willful · headstrong · uncooperative · intransigent · oppositional · contumacious · refractory
Independent-minded rule-breaker
- iconoclastAttacker of cherished beliefs
- dissenterOpponent of orthodoxy
- contrarianChronic majority-opposer
- unorthodoxContrary to accepted practice
individualist · outsider · renegade · countercultural · bohemian · eccentric · alternative · heretic
Organized resistance to power
- insurrectionViolent uprising against authority
- revoltOrganized resistance to power
- mutinyRevolt against authority
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
guerrilla · subversion · sedition · insurgent · dissident · underground · protest · liberation
Central standing hair strip
- anarchyDisorder from absent authority
- DIYAmateur home projects
- piercingPenetrating or very sharp
- tattooPermanent dermal design
leather · hardcore · zine · underground · subculture · thrash · graffiti · slam-dancing
Person aged thirteen-nineteen
- angstDeep unfocused worry
- defianceOpen resistance to authority
- curfewMandated return time
- groundedStable and realistic
coming-of-age · independence · experimentation · attitude · boundary-pushing
defiant
Openly resisting control
- resistantWithstanding external forces
- insubordinateDefying rightful authority
- recalcitrantStubbornly resistant to control
obstinate · unyielding · willful · headstrong · uncooperative · intransigent · oppositional · contumacious · refractory · noncompliant
maverick
Independent-minded rule-breaker
- iconoclastAttacker of cherished beliefs
- dissenterOpponent of orthodoxy
- contrarianChronic majority-opposer
unorthodox · individualist · outsider · renegade · countercultural · bohemian · eccentric · alternative · heretic · radical
uprising
Organized resistance to power
- insurrectionViolent uprising against authority
- revoltOrganized resistance to power
- mutinyRevolt against authority
resistance · guerrilla · subversion · sedition · insurgent · dissident · underground · protest · liberation · coup
mohawk
Central standing hair strip
tattoo · leather · hardcore · zine · underground · subculture · thrash · graffiti · slam-dancing · anti-establishment
teenager
Person aged thirteen-nineteen
grounded · coming-of-age · independence · experimentation · attitude · boundary-pushing
- attitudespositive, negative, ambition, apathy, curiosity
- behaviorshabit, aggressive, agitation, conduct, passive
- misbehaviormisbehave, misbehavior, mischief, misconduct, naughty
- traitshonesty, ambitious, brave, calm, kindness
- alt fashionpunk, goth, grunge, leather jackets, leather jacket
- Byronic Herobrooding, tormented, mysterious, passionate, proud
rebelliousobedient
Following commands willingly
submissive · compliant · docile · dutiful · biddable
rebelliousconformist
One following accepted norms
conventional · orthodox · traditional · mainstream · conservative
- 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