rebel without a cause

Related to rebel without a cause: Natalie Wood

rebel without a cause

A person who fights, rebels, or protests against the established norm of society or government, without having any real or particular end goal they wish to achieve. My poor uncle always struck me as a rebel without a cause, disappearing for weeks on end, getting drunk and alienating the family, and ending up in prison more times than I can count. I think he felt like he just didn't fit in, and didn't have the emotional tools to deal with that or to ask for help from anyone else.
See also: cause, rebel, without
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

a rebel without a cause

a person who is deeply dissatisfied with society in general but does not have a specific aim to fight for.
Rebel Without A Cause was the title of a US film starring James Dean , released in 1955 .
See also: cause, rebel, without
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • a rebel without a cause
  • Don’t you wish!
  • don't you wish
  • Don't you wish!
  • as you wish
  • you wish
  • you wish!
  • wish (one) well
  • wish somebody/something well
  • wish list
References in periodicals archive
"After she left, Nick described in his laconic way how they were quickly attracted to each other when he interviewed her for the part in Rebel Without a Cause: and he seemed offhandedly proud of having taken her virginity."
Her splendor: Gavin Lambert's page-turner of a biography captures the magic of Hollywood legend Natalie Wood
He made just three films, East of Eden, Rebel Without A Cause and Giant, before he died in a car smash.
Stop the Clock; February 8
Russell's Stupid Kids takes most of its plot and its atmosphere of hormonal overdrive directly from the classic teen-angst movie Rebel Without a Cause. Jim Stark, the James Dean character (James Carpinello), is the surly new kid in town who has eyes for Judy, the Natalie Wood role (Shannon Burkett), whose boyfriend, Buzz, is Big Man on Campus at Joe McCarthy High.
Stupid Kids
On view are such famous rides as the Batmobile, the Munsters' Koach, and James Dean's Rebel Without a Cause car.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
When he screamed "You're tearing me apart!" to his doting but bickering parents in the film Rebel Without a Cause, a whole generation knew just what he meant.
Those Crazy Rockin' Teenagers
The 24-year-old was never rewarded for his most memorable role as Jim Stark in Rebel Without A Cause.
Screen giant and a rebel without a cause