mutiny 1 of 2

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

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 mutiny
Noun
The story of the shipwreck of an 18th century British warship and a mutiny among the survivors. 10. The California Independent Booksellers Alliance, Los Angeles Times, 25 Dec. 2024 News of the conversations surfaced as House Republicans of all stripes grew frustrated with Johnson’s handling of government funding last week, which sparked a mutiny in the GOP conference. Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 24 Dec. 2024
Verb
Within days, however, Congo’s troops mutinied against their all-white officer corps (a holdover from the colonial era) and started terrorizing the European population. Stephen R. Weissman, Foreign Affairs, 16 June 2014 After the officer in charge hanged one of the men, the crew mutinied, built their own ship, and sailed home, abandoning the fort some 11 months after their arrival. Shanti Menon, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 See all Example Sentences for mutiny 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mutiny
Noun
  • What holds back CEOs and political leaders is the same thing: fear, fear of bad headlines or big revolts.
    Axios, Axios, 20 Jan. 2025
  • When their tour group takes a train ride in first class, Benji revolts.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Mark quickly rebels against the strange new order and manages to distract his new coworkers long enough to escape to Milchick’s office and contact the mysterious board, begging to see his old friends again.
    Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
  • Some part of her rebelled against its irrelevance to her own life.
    Sheila Heti, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • The violent insurrection overshadowed the final days of Trump's first term and seemed at the time almost certain to rule out any future bid for the presidency.
    Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
  • The committee spent 18 months investigating Trump and the violent insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.
    Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 20 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • The 1948-49 uprising is seen by some historians as a precursor to the Korean War.
    Lydia Millet, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Some Korean veterans of that war were also involved in suppressing uprisings such as the one in Gwangju.
    Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 14 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Some see hope in Trump’s return Jan. 19, 2025 Separately, law enforcement authorities are investigating whether Yoon and others committed rebellion, abuse of power and other crimes in connection with the martial law decree.
    Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025
  • The four are made to watch a corporate propaganda video (voiced by Keanu Reeves), which depicts their season 1 rebellion in a positive light, a protest that improved the company for the better.
    Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near mutiny

Cite this Entry

“Mutiny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mutiny. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

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