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

• balky
• contrary
• contumacious
• disobedient
• froward
• incompliant
• insubordinate
• intractable
• obstreperous
• rebel
• rebellious
• recalcitrant
• recusant
• refractory
• restive
• ungovernable
• unruly
• untoward
• wayward
• willful
• wilful

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

But the shocking outburst of violence, and Trump’s defiant response to it, helped supercharge the former President’s reelection campaign by further galvanizing the party around its nominee. —Jordan Fabian / Bloomberg, TIME, 16 July 2024

Seconds later, Nasser was defiant and electrified the crowd in one of the more emotional political moments caught on tape. —Shadi Hamid, Washington Post, 16 July 2024

Mills described how, at that moment, Trump appeared defiant, looking at the crowd and yelling. —Analisa Novak, CBS News, 15 July 2024

The defiant gesture during his Saturday night rally in Pennsylvania, after narrowly escaping an assassination attempt, showed Trump’s instinctual understanding that a visual show of strength is likely to fuel the rest of his presidential campaign. —Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2024

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

Kids Definition

defiant

adjective

de·​fi·​ant di-ˈfī-ənt 

: full of or showing defiance : impudent, insolent

defiantly adverb