as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control
the judge threatened to charge the contumacious witness with contempt of court
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contumacious
Adjective
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There's just something so irresistible about the lace-up flat with its air of rebellious discipline.—
Alex Sales,
Glamour,
12 Oct. 2025 -
Singer Kelis has always been rebellious and non-conforming.—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Since Gaddafi was removed from power and killed by rebel forces in 2011, Libya has found itself in turmoil — and its domestic football has mirrored its politics.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
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Less than a year after Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali became a Nobel laureate in 2019, a brutal conflict erupted in Tigray, a northern regional state in Ethiopia, between Ethiopian federal military forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, a rebel group.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Kurt Caz, a white South African social-media star with millions of followers across platforms, first gained popularity through filming his defiant tours of dangerous neighborhoods in countries such as Venezuela and Kenya.—
T. M. Brown,
New Yorker,
15 Oct. 2025
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In a defiant address to the nation on Monday night, Rajoelina said that he had been forced to move to a safe place because of threats to his life.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In March 2024, Karen was arrested and charged with a DUI and DWI, negligently driving a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner endangering property, life, and person, as well as recklessly driving a vehicle in wanton and willful disregard for the safety of persons and property.—
Liza Esquibias,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
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The three, from Southern California, were arrested and booked into Mono County Jail on suspicion of willful discharge of a firearm in a grossly negligent manner, a felony.—
Bay Area News Group,
Mercury News,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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These two ingredients mixed together creates a powerful mixture perfect for lifting stubborn stains off grout because of their high cleaning and brightening properties.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
10 Oct. 2025
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Scientists have discovered a cleaner, faster way to recycle one of the world’s most stubborn plastics, not with heat or chemicals, but with sheer mechanical force.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Contumacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contumacious. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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