Other forms: rebellions
A rebellion is people rising up against whoever rules them and trying to throw them off, weapons in hand. Farmers with pitchforks on the road to the capital. A province that stops answering the king's letters, a colony that refuses to pay the tax.
The word stretches well beyond armies. Thirty MPs voting against their own party is a backbench rebellion, and a class that refuses to sit down is in rebellion against a teacher. Teenage rebellion is the quiet domestic version, with dyed hair, a slammed door and a refusal to come to church on Sunday. The person is a rebel, the adjective is rebellious, and the stress moves between them, so a REB-el is a person and to re-BEL is to fight back. Keep the pair straight: a rebellion is the attempt, and a revolution is the one that succeeded and changed the system.
1nounrebellionAn organised armed rising against a government or ruler.
“The rebellion was put down within a fortnight.”
synonyms: uprising, revolt, insurrection
2noundefianceOpen refusal to obey authority or to accept the usual rules.
“Her whole rebellion consisted of a nose ring and a Saturday job.”
synonyms: defiance, insubordination
rebellion is an act of organised resistance.
Also accepted in games: uprising, revolt
Rebellion arrived in Middle English as rebellioun from Old French rebellion, which had it from Latin rebelliō. English left the parts on show, since the word is rebel plus the ending -ion that turns an action into a thing you can name and count. That is why it sounds like an event rather than a mood: a rebellion is the thing rebels actually do.
Latin
rebelliō
Old French
rebellion
Middle English
rebellioun
English, today
rebellion
From Middle English rebellioun, rebellion, from Old French rebellion, from Latin rebelliō. Equivalent for rebel + ion.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA