as in rebellion
refusal to obey
the teen's unrelenting balkiness was truly frustrating
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balkiness
Noun
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But the rebellion has also spurred a race to the bottom.—
Laura K. Field,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026 -
Confederate sympathizers carved up the old design, claiming the red-and-white Crossland pattern to signal rebellion loyalty.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In contemporary terms, joy is a psychological and neurobiological act of defiance.—
Rabbi Bruce D. Forman,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The American founding was, at its core, an act of defiance against unchecked power.—
Agustina Vergara Cid,
Oc Register,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Though the Durutti Column had been a disaster, Wilson was fascinated by the guitarist, who admired punk’s willfulness even though his own musical taste tended toward jazz, blues, and the classical tradition.—
Brad Shoup,
Pitchfork,
24 Jan. 2026
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The orphan’s predicament is as much a matter of willfulness as of survival—inseparable, as in the works of Charles Dickens, from a dream of being somehow rescued by the idea of an adult world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The stakes may differ, but the disrespect for local authority remains the same.—
Joshua Simmons,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
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The Swedish disrespect is real.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Balkiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balkiness. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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