What does revolted mean?
Revolted is the past tense and past participle of revolt. Its primary meaning is to rise up in rebellion against authority, government, military rule, or another dominant power: a garrison might revolt against its commanders, or citizens might revolt against an oppressive regime. It can also mean to experience sudden disgust, as in revelling? Wait, that sentence is incorrect. A more standard example is: “She revolted at the thought of eating the spoiled food.” The word is formal and somewhat literary, and its choice often suggests moral outrage, profound unease, or resistance to a situation regarded as intolerable. In political contexts, revolted emphasizes active opposition and the breakdown of obedience. Its related forms include revolt, revolting, and revolution, all of which derive from the idea of overturning or rising against an established order.
To rise up in rebellion or resistance, especially against authority or an occupying force.
"The workers revolted against the new regulations."
Usually followed by “against,” and more common in formal or historical writing than in casual speech.
To feel sudden disgust or intense aversion.
"He revolted at the cruelty of the punishment."
Commonly followed by “at,” “from,” or “against,” depending on the source or object of the disgust.
To revolt is to break with the established order; the word carries the sense of both political uprising and moral disgust.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of revolted
The word comes through French revolt from Latin revolvere, meaning “to overturn” or “to turn back.” Its original sense referred to an uprising or the act of overturning authority, while the newer sense of causing disgust developed from the idea of turning away in revulsion. English has long used revolt both for rebellion and for intense dislike, as in “revolt against” and “revolt at.”
Related word forms
How revolted is actually used
The word is formal and relatively uncommon in everyday speech. When meaning rebellion, it is normally used intransitively with “against”; when meaning disgust, it is often used intransitively with “at” or “from.”
Easily confused with revolted
Revolted means to rebel or rise up against authority, whereas revolve means to turn or rotate around a central point.