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malcontent

malcontent

12 8.3
A person who is unhappy and often rebels against authority
  • noun
  • /ˈmæl.kənˌtɛnt/
  • Formal
translation icon : disidente
  • He was labeled a malcontent for frequently speaking out against the school's administration.
  • clamorous malcontents

These are paranoid malcontents that complain about everything.

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Examples

  • But the chairman said that these were just the usual malcontents who turn-up for any cause or function; just there to interfere with progress.

  • The percentage of Americans who have become malcontents under this regime reveals our distrust.

    Blog text (25)
  • Thomas also could have had unresolved issues with his father that made becoming a malcontent an easy solution to his personal problems.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Give the space nuts the resources to build a ship and offer the malcontents an opportunity to sign on.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • William described Thomas as "a tool" of his malcontent acquaintances, promoting their views rather than his own.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The town malcontent.

  • Malcontents are disrupting Alabama, and it's your responsibility to stop them.

  • Who were these Malcontents, what did they believe, and why did William Stephens disapprove of them?

    Academic text (2008)
  • Humanists shouldn't write off the Tea Party movement as an unorganized collection of cranks and malcontents.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Malcontents often organize protests to voice their dissatisfaction with malcontent leadership.

Synonyms

rebel
vsmalcontent
658 3.6

A person who acts against the government or people in power

is dissatisfied or oppositional but may not act openly

Antonyms

817 1.0

A person who backs a team or a cause

295 1.6

A person who supports a leader and accepts their direction

How Dissatisfied

insurgent
  • Literature
93 8.6
rebel
658 3.6
malcontent
  • Formal
12 8.3
dissenter
22 7.2
critic
563 3.0
supporter
817 1.0

Surface Forms

malcontent singular
malcontents plural

Morphology

malcontent = content (semi-transparent) = mal + content

The meaning is fairly accessible from 'mal' + 'content', but the prefix is learned and the noun sense has become somewhat specialized.

Etymology

Malcontent as a noun originally meant a person who was 'badly satisfied', that is, not satisfied. So a malcontent is a person who complains or rebels against the rules or those in power.