: rising in opposition to civil authority or established leadership : rebellious
insurgentlyadverb
Did you know?
Is insurgent a new word?
Insurgent is not a particularly novel coinage; it has been in use as both a noun and an adjective for well over 200 years. Appearances of the word began to spike in the early 21st century, however, due to a combination of factors (including the appearance of such combatants in conflicts and the desire among journalists to avoid words that might seem biased, such as terrorist or freedom fighter).
The definition of the noun, which includes the phrase “a rebel not recognized as a belligerent,” refers to a specific sense of belligerent: “belonging to or recognized as an organized military power protected by and subject to the laws of war.”
NounInsurgents are trying to gain control of the country's transportation system. the government subjected the insurgents to the most inhuman torture imaginable Adjective any insurgent soldiers will be dealt with harshly
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Wednesday's attacks came after the Thai government earlier this year restarted discussions with the main insurgent group, the Barisan Revolusi Nasional, after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Reuters, CNN, 17 Aug. 2022 Wednesday’s attacks came after the Thai government earlier this year restarted discussions with the main insurgent group, the Barisan Revolusi Nasional, after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Reuters, NBC News, 17 Aug. 2022 At one point in the battle, an insurgent detonated his suicide vest, mortally wounding a fellow U.S. soldier. The Associated. Press, Arkansas Online, 12 Dec. 2021 Gingrich was a supply-sider, an economic theory that left Dole unimpressed, and an insurgent, a political tactic that left Dole cold. David M. Shribman, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2021 On Thursday, Trump aimed fire at Barnette, the third Pennsylvania Senate candidate, a relatively unknown insurgent who has been rising quickly in some polls with the support from the Club for Growth. Michael Scherer And Josh Dawsey, Anchorage Daily News, 14 May 2022 A dozen Democrats have lined up to take on the two-term incumbent, who has evolved from a tea party insurgent during his first run in 2010 to a promoter of Covid-19 and January 6 conspiracies. Terence Burlij, CNN, 26 Feb. 2022 On Saturday, fighting between insurgent and government forces around Herat city, a traditionally safe area in the country’s west, edged dangerously close to its periphery.New York Times, 31 July 2021 Somehow, over time , there has been a failure to distinguish between a sewing machine operator earning a living, and an insurgent fighting a battle (all within the same country). Rick Helfenbein, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2021
Adjective
Her charming statement of industry idealism is now lost to group-think pressure and the insurgent political correctness. Armond White, National Review, 19 Aug. 2022 By early summer, the insurgent group controlled more than half of the districts in Afghanistan.New York Times, 30 Dec. 2021 Since the first secret meetings between Obama Administration and Taliban officials in Germany, in 2011, the freeing of Taliban prisoners had been, along with U.S. troop withdrawal, a topmost concern of the insurgent group. Michael Ames, The New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2021 February 19, 2018 - A Justice Ministry statement says that a Nigerian high court has convicted 205 Boko Haram suspects for their involvement with the insurgent group, and the suspects were sentenced to jail terms ranging from three to 60 years.CNN, 7 Sep. 2021 After the Taliban government was dismantled by the 2001 U.S. invasion, Baradar helped lead the insurgent group’s fighters. Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2021 China met with Taliban leaders last month after the insurgent group had already started making aggressive advances across Afghanistan. Caitlin Mcfall, Fox News, 19 Aug. 2021 In its stunning military rout, the Taliban faced little to no resistance from the Afghan security forces, even though the Biden administration had repeatedly touted their ability to fend off the insurgent group. Deirdre Shesgreen, USA TODAY, 15 Aug. 2021 The President dispatched America’s top Afghanistan envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, to Doha, Qatar, this week for negotiations with the insurgent group. Brian Bennett, Time, 10 Aug. 2021 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Latin insurgent-, insurgens, present participle of insurgere to rise up, from in- + surgere to rise — more at surge