insurgent

Intermediatezipf 3.20

Pronunciation

/ɪnˈsɜːrdʒənt/(in-SUR-junt)

Part of speech

noun / adjectiveformal

Chinese

(n) 叛乱者；起义者 (adj) 叛乱的

Definition

A person who rises in revolt against established authority; relating to armed rebellion.

Word family

  • insurgency/ɪnˈsɜːrdʒənsi/(n)叛乱

Collocations

  • insurgent forces
  • insurgent group
  • armed insurgents
  • counter-insurgency
  • insurgent attack

Examples

  1. 1.Government troops battled insurgents in the northern provinces for over a decade. (rebels)
  2. 2.The counter-insurgency strategy focused on winning civilian support rather than purely military operations. (rebellion)

Synonyms

  • rebel/ˈrɛbl/— one who resists authority — more general
  • guerrilla/ɡəˈrɪlə/— a member of an irregular armed force
  • militant/ˈmɪlɪtənt/— a person who is aggressive in pursuing political goals

Etymology

from Latin "insurgens" (rising up) — in- (against) + surgere (to rise)