insubordinate definition | Dictionary.com

in⋅sub⋅or⋅di⋅nate

[in-suh-bawr-dn-it]

–adjective

1.	not submitting to authority; disobedient: an insubordinate soldier.

2.	not lower.

–noun

3.	a person who is insubordinate.

Origin:
1840–50; in- ³ + subordinate

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Language Translation for : insubordinate

Spanish:

insubordinado, indisciplinado,

German:

widersetzlich,

Japanese:

反抗的な

View 30 other languages »

in·sub·or·di·nate (ĭn'sə-bôr'dn-ĭt) Pronunciation Key
adj. Not submissive to authority: has a history of insubordinate behavior.

in'sub·or'di·nate n., in'sub·or'di·nate·ly adv., in'sub·or'di·na'tion n.

Synonyms: These adjectives mean in opposition to and usually in defiance of established authority. Insubordinate implies failure or refusal to recognize or submit to the authority of a superior: was fired for being insubordinate.
Rebellious implies open defiance of authority or resistance to control: rebellious students demonstrating on campus.
Mutinous pertains to revolt against constituted authority, especially that of a naval or military command: mutinous sailors defying the captain.
Factious implies divisiveness, dissension, or disunity within a group or an organization: "The army has been embroiled in a standoff battle against a [hornets'] nest of factious groups" (Time).
Seditious applies mainly to the treasonous stirring up of resistance against a government: rebels distributing seditious pamphlets.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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insubordinate (adj.)

1849, on model of Fr. insubordonné (1781), from in- "not" + subordinate (q.v.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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insubordinate
adjective
1.	not submissive to authority; "a history of insubordinate behavior"; "insubordinate boys" [ant: subordinate]
2.	disposed to or engaged in defiance of established authority

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Insubordinate

In`sub*or"di*nate\, a. Not submitting to authority; disobedient; rebellious; mutinous.

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