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

Older Americans will remember Lee Iacocca’s defiant car commercials of the 1980s, when American automakers pushed back against imports. —Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 29 Nov. 2025

Organizational psychologist Sunita Sah wants parents everywhere to understand that a defiant child isn’t always a bad kid. —Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 29 Nov. 2025

And getting to explore these new colors of Will, who is stronger and more defiant, was really fun. —Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 28 Nov. 2025

Such is the case with this genre-defiant quasi-thriller, in which a handsome but borderline unhinged Southern Californian guy (Sam Daly) becomes ostracized and kicked to the curb by his friends, and then goes on a road trip. —Randy Myers, Mercury News, 26 Nov. 2025

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

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

Kids Definition

defiant

adjective

de·​fi·​ant di-ˈfī-ənt 

: full of or showing defiance : impudent, insolent

defiantly adverb