Rebelling

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Engaging in actions that defy or resist established authority or control
2. Participating in behavior that challenges or disobeys a governing power or rule
3. Taking part in efforts to overthrow or dispute an existing system or command

Etymology: "Rebelling" is the form of "rebel" that describes the act while it is going on, as in "rebelling against the king." The verb "rebel" came into English from Old French "rebelle," which in turn came from Latin "rebellis," a word meaning "making war again." The Latin prefix "re-" means "back" or "again," and "bellum" means "war," so the word's original sense is someone renewing a war against an existing authority. The "-ing" ending is the ordinary English suffix that turns a verb into a present participle, so "rebelling" is simply "rebel" with that ending attached. Middle English speakers formed the word in this same way, adding "-yng" to the verb they had borrowed. The Latin root gives the word its military flavour. Someone who rebelled was, at heart, someone who took up arms a second time against a power they had already been subject to, which is why the idea of open defiance has always carried the sense of fighting.

Synonyms: revolting, defying, resisting, insurrecting, uprising

Antonyms: obeying, complying, yielding, submitting, conforming