mutiny

1 of 2

noun

mu·​ti·​ny ˈmyü-tə-nē How to pronounce mutiny (audio)
ˈmyüt-nē
plural mutinies
Synonyms of mutinynext
1
: forcible or passive resistance to lawful authority
especially : concerted (see concerted sense 1) revolt (as of a naval crew) against discipline or a superior officer
The sailors staged a mutiny and took control of the ship.
2
obsolete : tumult, strife

mutiny

2 of 2

verb

mutinied; mutinying; mutinies

intransitive verb

: to rise against or refuse to obey or observe authority
He mutinied not just against God but against the older generation of Romanian intellectuals.—Will Blythe
specifically, of soldiers, sailors, etc. : to rebel against military authority : to stage a mutiny
Months wore on, and about half of [Christopher] Columbus's men mutinied and tried to sail by canoe to Hispaniola. —Owen Gingerich
In April 1779 a draft of sixty men from the 71st Highlanders mutinied when they were told they were to go to America and refused to march aboard the transports. —Christopher Hibbert

Synonyms

Noun

Verb

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for mutiny

rebellion, revolution, uprising, revolt, insurrection, mutiny mean an outbreak against authority.

rebellion implies an open formidable resistance that is often unsuccessful.

open rebellion against the officers

revolution applies to a successful rebellion resulting in a major change (as in government).

a political revolution that toppled the monarchy

uprising implies a brief, limited, and often immediately ineffective rebellion.

quickly put down the uprising

revolt and insurrection imply an armed uprising that quickly fails or succeeds.

a revolt by the Young Turks that surprised party leaders
an insurrection of oppressed laborers

mutiny applies to group insubordination or insurrection especially against naval authority.

a mutiny led by the ship's cook

Examples of mutiny in a Sentence

Noun The mutiny was led by the ship's cook. The sailors staged a mutiny and took control of the ship. Verb the party's conservative faction mutinied just before the election
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin during his mutiny last summer had made Shoigu's removal his key demand. —Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 13 May 2024 Last summer, the mercenary chief Yevgeny V. Prigozhin staged a mutiny to try to remove Mr. Shoigu, the defense minister for more than a decade. —Anton Troianovski, New York Times, 12 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for mutiny 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mutiny.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

mutine to rebel, from Middle French (se) mutiner, from mutin mutinous, from meute revolt, from Vulgar Latin *movita, from feminine of movitus, alteration of Latin motus, past participle of movēre to move

First Known Use

Noun

1540, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1584, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mutiny was in 1540

Dictionary Entries Near mutiny

mutinous

mutiny

Mutisia

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Mutiny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mutiny. Accessed 29 May. 2024.

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Kids Definition

mutiny

noun
mu·​ti·​ny ˈmyüt-ᵊn-ē How to pronounce mutiny (audio)
ˈmyüt-nē
plural mutinies
: refusal to obey authority
especially : a military outbreak against the officer in charge
mutiny verb

More from Merriam-Webster on mutiny

Nglish: Translation of mutiny for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mutiny

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