sedition

sedition, treason are comparable when they mean an offense against a state to which or a sovereign to whom one owes allegiance.

Sedition applies to conduct that is not manifested in an overt act but that incites commotion and resistance to lawful authority without in itself amounting to insurrection

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sedition is ... a matter of expressing opinions, not of committing acts— The Reporter

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Treason applies to conduct that is manifested by an overt act or acts, is variously defined by various governments and at various times but typically has for its aim the violent overthrow of the government, the death of the sovereign, or betrayal to or aid and comfort of the enemy

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one cannot commit treason simply by talking or conspiring against the government; he must actually do something, and there must be witnesses— Ogg & Ray

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sedition has come to be applied to practices which tend to disturb internal public tranquility by deed, word, or writing but which do not amount to treason and are not accompanied by or conducive to open violence— Chafee

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sedition ... is traitorous behavior that falls short of treason because it does not actively levy war against the United States or give aid to an enemy of the United States. It stirs up resistance to latf or encourages conduct that may become treason— Smelser & Kirwin

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Analogous words: *rebellion, revolt, revolution, uprising, insurrection, mutiny, putsch, coup: disaffection, alienation, estrangement (see corresponding verbs at ESTRANGE)

Contrasted words: *fidelity, allegiance, loyalty, fealty