as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control
a balky toddler who only seemed to know the word "no" when told to do something
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Recent Examples of balky
The Rams’ standout quarterback participated in a team workout on Monday for the first time since camp opened, as Stafford and L.A. manages his balky back.
—
Jay Paris, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
And there are myriad issues for SpaceX's engineers to solve, from engine reliability and the ship's resonant frequency, to beefing up the ship's heat shield and fixing its balky payload bay door.
—ArsTechnica, 19 June 2025
After winning the first two sets in tiebreaks, Fils fell off a cliff, struggling with his balky back and cramps.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 30 May 2025
The only thing the matter with him was a balky hamstring that kept him out of 24 games.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for balky
Jay Paris, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
And there are myriad issues for SpaceX's engineers to solve, from engine reliability and the ship's resonant frequency, to beefing up the ship's heat shield and fixing its balky payload bay door.
—ArsTechnica, 19 June 2025
After winning the first two sets in tiebreaks, Fils fell off a cliff, struggling with his balky back and cramps.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 30 May 2025
The only thing the matter with him was a balky hamstring that kept him out of 24 games.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for balky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balky
Adjective
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The Western world is experiencing something of a psychedelic renaissance, with an increasing amount of interest in drugs that decades ago were considered rebellious and dangerous to some groups but fun to others who used it while clubbing and attending raves.—
Soph Warnes,
CNN Money,
28 Sep. 2025
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Bob and Zoyd are both paranoid in the wake of their rebellious pasts.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Nine months after the longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad was toppled by a rebel offensive, Syria faces a litany of new challenges.—
Caroline Rose,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Sep. 2025
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Iran and later Russia dispatched troops to save him, while Turkey and Gulf states backed rebel militias.—
Robin Yassin-Kassab,
Time,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Though the song order is Easter egg intentional – as with everything Swift – it’s bookended by a declaration of romantic salvation and a narrative from the perspective of a weary, yet defiant showgirl.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
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Polis has sought to avoid public fights with the federal government over immigration, unlike his more publicly defiant counterparts in Illinois and California.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Originally bred in Germany to hunt badgers, these small canines are energetic, bold and stubborn.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
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Both options meant navigating some stubborn supporters.—
Kevin Coulson,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Anderson plunges the audience into the rebels’ point of view, immersing us in the recalcitrant pride and swagger of Perfidia Beverly Hills, a revolutionary leader played by Teyana Taylor with a hypnotic sneer of defiance.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
17 Sep. 2025
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Congress remains recalcitrant to gun reform even after the gruesome scenes at Parkland, Uvalde, and Sandy Hook.—
John J. Donohue,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Miller was charged with domestic abuse assault, willful injury and kidnapping, according to the sheriff.—
Mike Stunson,
Kansas City Star,
29 Sep. 2025
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He has been charged with armed kidnapping, willful injury, domestic abuse assault with the intent to inflict serious injuries and obstruction of emergency communications, according to public court records.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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All at once, Vance had made an obstreperous return to the center of the national stage—and so did the memes.—
Jessica Winter,
The New Yorker,
19 Mar. 2025
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In some ways, Paul has been less obstreperous than them.—
Eric Cortellessa,
TIME,
18 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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If there’s a team meal one night, Monken is there to make sure there are no wayward plates or utensils left out.—
Christopher Kamrani,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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The streamer will also be on stage for a panel about Paul Greengrass’ The Lost Bus, in which a wayward school bus driver and a dedicated school teacher battle to save 22 children from a terrifying inferno.—
The Deadline Team,
Deadline,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Balky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balky. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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