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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.”
Synonyms
Examples of insurgent in a Sentence
Matthieu Aikins Victor J. Blue Peter Ganim Krish Seenivasan Steven Szczesniak, New York Times, 22 May 2024
That insurgent success had contributed to the decision of the incumbent Democratic President Lyndon Johnson not to leave the presidential race that year.
—Ron Elving, NPR, 18 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for insurgent 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'insurgent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Insurgent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insurgent. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
insurgent
1 of 2 noun
insurgent
2 of 2 adjectiveLegal Definition
insurgent
1 of 2 noun
insurgent
2 of 2 adjective
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