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
-
Prior to the Emancipation Proclamation, slavery was the law in the rebellious states.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Jan. 2026 -
This wretched regime is doomed to be overthrown by the risen populace and rebellious youth.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
1 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Two men are targeted by the rebel army who overthrew the government of Colonel Jacobo Arbenz Guzman.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 Jan. 2026
-
He was denounced by rebel propagandists as a tyrant and remembered by Americans as a reactionary dolt.—
Bhumika Tharoor,
The Atlantic,
30 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Vice President Delcy Rodriguez initially was angry and defiant.—
Arthur I. Cyr,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Venezuela’s interim leader, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, has alternated between taking a conciliatory approach towards Washington and striking a defiant tone.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
As an adult, he was convicted of assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury in 2018 and evading an officer with willful disregard for public safety in 2023.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
31 Dec. 2025
-
Tran was convicted by a federal jury last September for fraudulent collection of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits and his willful omission of consulting and rental income from his tax returns in 2020, 2021 and 2022.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
19 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
That tone—of pain, of surprise, of a stubborn refusal to be reduced or diminished—is everywhere in it.—
Questlove,
The Atlantic,
7 Nov. 2025
-
If the stain is stubborn, add a few drops of dish soap to the water and vinegar mixture.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
7 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Contumacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contumacious. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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