defiant

adjective

de·​fi·​ant di-ˈfī-ənt 

dē-

: full of or showing a disposition to challenge, resist, or fight : full of or showing defiance : bold, impudent

defiant rebels

a defiant refusal

Mantor struck a defiant pose, his chin out, and rocked for a moment on the heels of his boots.

—Christopher Ketcham

Synonyms of defiant

• rebellious
• rebel
• stubborn

Examples of defiant in a Sentence

He's taken a defiant stand on the issue.

the defiant puppy refused to let go of the football

Recent Examples on the Web

The streak did not continue in 2025, but the season turned out to be a more defiant refutation of the caution against rookie tight ends. — John Riker, New York Times, 20 July 2026

Between the toilets, Florentina Holzinger was naked, in a decent-sized tank of water, maintaining a defiant, full-frontal pose, wearing a diving mask and breathing through a scuba. — Lauren Oyler, New Yorker, 20 July 2026

In spite of the agony and terror, the defiant desire is to be human, to meet, to stand in the midst of all that has fallen and embrace another person. — Josh Fox, IndieWire, 17 July 2026

Juano Hernandez, one of the finest of all American actors, plays a proudly defiant Black man falsely accused of murder. — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 15 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

in part borrowed from French défiant "mistrustful," from present participle of défier "to mistrust, challenge, defy entry 1," going back to Old French; in part from defi(ance) + -ant entry 2

First Known Use

1583, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing defiant

• oppositional defiant disorder

Rhymes for defiant

• client
• giant
• pliant
• scient
• compliant
• reliant
• suppliant
• noncompliant

Kids Definition

defiant

adjective

de·​fi·​ant di-ˈfī-ənt 

: full of or showing defiance : impudent, insolent

defiantly adverb