Rebellious

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɹəˈbɛliəs/

Definitions

1. Characterized by defiance of authority or resistance to control, often showing a deliberate refusal to obey rules or accept conventional standards
2. Having a disposition that opposes established norms and authority, often demonstrating a willingness to resist control and challenge societal expectations
3. Exhibiting a tendency to defy traditional authority and rules, frequently marked by an active refusal to conform or accept limitations

Etymology: "Rebellious" is built from "rebel" and the suffix "-ious," which turns a noun into an adjective meaning "full of" or "characterized by" something. So a rebellious person is, quite literally, full of rebel. The suffix is the familiar Latin-derived "-ious" seen in words like "furious" and "gracious," attached to a root that had come into English earlier. The root is "rebel," which entered Middle English from Old French "rebelle," borrowed from Latin "rebellis," meaning one who renews war, from "re-" (again) and "bellum" (war). That Latin sense is striking: a rebel was originally someone who went back to fighting after a defeat or a peace. The word has kept that core idea of resisting an established power, even as its details have changed. The adjective "rebellious" carries the sense of openly defying authority, whether in a political uprising or in a child who refuses to obey. It was formed in Middle English on the same pattern, so it inherits both the Latin meaning of renewed war and the later shift toward ordinary defiance.

Synonyms: defiant, insurgent, revolutionary, disobedient, unruly

Antonyms: obedient, compliant, submissive, docile, yielding