recusant 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of recusantnext
as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control several recusant senators refused to vote as commanded by the party leadership

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

recusant

2 of 2

noun

as in resister

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 recusant
Noun
The uniform of the conformist — sports shirt, cardigan, tennis shoes — is as easily recognized as that of the recusant — dirty white T, sideburns, two days’ growth of beard. — Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, 15 July 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for recusant
  1. rebellious
  2. resister
  3. rebel
  4. defiant
  5. mutineer
  6. willful
  7. oppositionist
  8. insurgent
Adjective
  • On Wednesday, March 12, The Kardashians star was joined by her mother Kris Jenner for the latest episode of her Khloé in Wonderland podcast, where the two looked back at some of Khloé's rebellious childhood moments.
    — Esther Kang, People.com, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Mickey, tasked with keeping her rebellious sister in line, never had the opportunity to be a kid.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of rebellious
Noun
  • In the 1940s and ’50s, room-sized mainframe computers relied on thousands of vacuum tubes, resisters, capacitors and more.
    — Gerui Wang, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
  • Collaborators often became resisters, and vice versa.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Definition of resister
Adjective
  • Her character evolves throughout the series from a superficial adherent to the Capitol’s cruel system to a rebel sympathizer who comes to care deeply for Katniss and Peeta, representing the potential for change even among those benefiting from oppression. 10.
    — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 19 Mar. 2025
  • In January, the conflict sharply escalated, as Rwandan troops and their M23 rebel allies took control of Bukavu and Goma, the biggest city in eastern Congo.
    — Jason K. Stearns, TIME, 19 Mar. 2025
Definition of rebel
Adjective
  • After being yelled at, children often feel defiant, defensive, and disconnected from their parent.
    — Daryl Austin, Parents, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Their bleeding champion — at the time a former and future president — raises a defiant fist.
    — John Scott Lewinski, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of defiant
Noun
  • He’s been with them since the beginning, proving himself as a loyal friend and a valuable mutineer.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Feb. 2025
  • The mutineers requested political asylum but instead were imprisoned by the Cambodian government.
    — Roberto Loiederman, Baltimore Sun, 11 Jan. 2025
Definition of mutineer
Adjective
  • The distinction between willful and non-willful noncompliance is crucial because willful violations carry substantially higher penalties and potential criminal liability.
    — Virginia La Torre Jeker, J.D., Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Teixeira pleaded guilty last March to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act, following his arrest in the most consequential national security breach in years.
    — Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 10 Mar. 2025
Definition of willful
Noun
  • Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is a Sunni Islamist umbrella group of oppositionist forces with ideological and organizational roots in al-Qaeda.
    — Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Within Russia, the oppositionists’ challenges are far greater.
    — Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2024
Definition of oppositionist
Noun
  • While Syria's new rulers -- led by the Islamist former insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham -- have pursued IS cells since taking power, some fear a breakdown in overall security that could allow the group to stage a resurgence.
    — arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 15 Mar. 2025
  • Turkey, a close ally of Mr. al-Shara’s rebel group, has for years sought to curb the power of the Syrian Democratic Forces, maintaining that the militia is linked to Kurdish separatist insurgents inside Turkey.
    — Raja Abdulrahim, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2025
Definition of insurgent

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“Recusant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recusant. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.

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