Insubordinate

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Refusing to obey orders or showing defiant disrespect toward authority figures, especially in a workplace or military context
2. Demonstrating a lack of obedience or respect for authority, often characterized by willful noncompliance and challenge to established rules or commands
3. Exhibiting behavior that resists or defies authority figures, typically involving a disregard for rules or orders in structured environments

Etymology: The adjective "insubordinate" is built from the prefix "in-", meaning "not", and "subordinate", which itself comes from Medieval Latin "subordinatus", "placed under" or "ranked below". So the literal sense is "not placed under", and the word describes someone who will not stay in their place within a chain of command. The English form appears to have been shaped on the French "insubordonné", which suggests it was borrowed as a model rather than assembled from scratch in English. Both languages then had a noun "subordination" for the state of being ranked below someone, and "insubordination" was the natural counterpart, with the adjective following the same pattern.

Synonyms: disobedient, rebellious, defiant

Antonyms: obedient, compliant