MUTINY Synonyms: 41 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'mutiny' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of mutiny are insurrection , rebellion , revolt , revolution , and uprising . While all these words mean "an outbreak against authority," mutiny applies to group insubordination or insurrection especially against naval authority. // a mutiny led by the ship's cook

Q: When could 'rebellion' be used to replace 'mutiny'?

The synonyms rebellion and mutiny are sometimes interchangeable, but rebellion implies an open formidable resistance that is often unsuccessful. // open rebellion against the officers

Q: How do 'revolt' and 'insurrection' relate to one another, in the sense of 'mutiny'?

Both revolt and insurrection imply an armed uprising that quickly fails or succeeds. // a revolt by the Young Turks that surprised party leaders // an insurrection of oppressed laborers

Q: When is it sensible to use 'revolution' instead of 'mutiny'?

While the synonyms revolution and mutiny are close in meaning, revolution applies to a successful rebellion resulting in a major change (as in government). // a political revolution that toppled the monarchy

Q: When can 'uprising' be used instead of 'mutiny'?

Although the words uprising and mutiny have much in common, uprising implies a brief, limited, and often immediately ineffective rebellion. // quickly put down the uprising

mutiny 1 of 2

noun

ˈmyü-tə-nē

Definition of mutiny next

as in revolt

open fighting against authority (as one's own government) a mutiny led by the ship's cook

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

mutiny

2 of 2

verb

as in to rebel

to rise up against established authority the party's conservative faction mutinied just before the election

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun mutiny differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of mutiny are insurrection, rebellion, revolt, revolution, and uprising. While all these words mean "an outbreak against authority," mutiny applies to group insubordination or insurrection especially against naval authority.

a mutiny led by the ship's cook

When could rebellion be used to replace mutiny?

The synonyms rebellion and mutiny are sometimes interchangeable, but rebellion implies an open formidable resistance that is often unsuccessful.

open rebellion against the officers

How do revolt and insurrection relate to one another, in the sense of mutiny?

Both revolt and insurrection imply an armed uprising that quickly fails or succeeds.

a revolt by the Young Turks that surprised party leaders

an insurrection of oppressed laborers

When is it sensible to use revolution instead of mutiny?

While the synonyms revolution and mutiny are close in meaning, revolution applies to a successful rebellion resulting in a major change (as in government).

a political revolution that toppled the monarchy

When can uprising be used instead of mutiny?

Although the words uprising and mutiny have much in common, uprising implies a brief, limited, and often immediately ineffective rebellion.

quickly put down the uprising

Examples 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 mutiny

Noun

In the immediate aftermath of both the Kursk incursion and Prigozhin’s mutiny, Russian state television, used to being directed from above, was left to flounder. —

Peter Pomerantsev, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2024 The Berkeley Arms overlooks a placid harbor, the home of a replica of the HMS Bounty, a tourist attraction on which wax models of sailors reenact their famous mutiny. —

Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024

Verb

Jackie Calmes: McCarthy flopped, Gaetz mutinied, but blame the chaos on the entire Republican Party. —

Helen Li, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2023 More recently, Tytler and his young wife, Harriet Tytler—she eight months pregnant, with two small children at her side—had narrowly escaped Delhi in 1857, when the sepoys, or Indian infantrymen, mutinied. —

Adam Goodheart, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Sep. 2023 See all Example Sentences for mutiny

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mutiny

Noun

The recession generated populist revolts on the right (the Tea Party movement) and the left (the Occupy movement), and made what had appeared to be broad public acceptance of pro-market bromides seem like an illusion.

Nicholas Lemann, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
Soviet Russians sent in tanks and shut down the revolt after several brutal days of bitter fighting.

Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 23 Oct. 2024