disobedient

adjective

dis·​obe·​di·​ent ˌdis-ə-ˈbē-dē-ənt How to pronounce disobedient (audio)
-ō-ˈbē-
: refusing or neglecting to obey
disobediently adverb

Examples of disobedient in a Sentence

The disobedient soldier was given cleanup duty. The dog was being disobedient.
Recent Examples on the Web Snow White’s source was a disturbing fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm; Pinocchio was based on Carlo Collodi’s alarmingly cruel novel, The Adventures of Pinocchio, in which the disobedient puppet kills his cricket friend and, for separate reasons, is eventually hanged. Kelly Conaboy, The Atlantic, 28 Dec. 2023 Instead, he was taken to a dorm room reserved for punishing disobedient workers. Isabelle Qian, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2023 So things like being disobedient or causing a disturbance at school. Lauren Goode, WIRED, 24 Aug. 2023 In the Indigenous Shuar communities of the Amazon, disobedient children were disciplined by giving them a juice called maikua, made from Brugmansia flowers. Mindy Weisberger, CNN, 10 Apr. 2023 My left foot can be disobedient, dragging through the water like a weighted anchor. Purnima Mani, Good Housekeeping, 22 July 2023 In January, Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law that toughened penalties, which include jail time, for those who refuse to serve, or who are disobedient. Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 15 June 2023 Youngkin spokeswoman Macaulay Porter did not directly reply to a question Friday asking what steps the governor will take to ensure disobedient districts allow families to send their children to school maskless. Washington Post, 21 Jan. 2022 To be disobedient is to be a thinking person. Michaela Zee, Variety, 10 Jan. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'disobedient.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of disobedient was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near disobedient

Cite this Entry

“Disobedient.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disobedient. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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