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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As a whole, the return of the Ninja 300 feels almost rebellious in today's motorcycle market.—
Utkarsh Sood
June 13,
New Atlas,
13 June 2026 -
Difficult teenage years with lots of poor decisions and rebellious behavior.—
Eric Thomas,
Sun Sentinel,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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In a sport long defined by its rigidity and rigorous training, Liu, 20, is a rebel and role model for simply loving to skate.—
Alice Park,
Time,
9 June 2026
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De la Espriella has promised to cancel the talks and take a more confrontational approach to rebel groups that includes using airplanes to spray coca fields with herbicides.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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Continue reading … POLITICS GROUNDED — Republicans cheer plan to choke international travel at defiant liberal hubs.—
,
FOXNews.com,
9 June 2026
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Speaking to voters over the weekend from the picturesque resort town of Ogunquit, the Washington Examiner found an air of unease among some, in one case downright hostility, and in others defiant support.—
David Millward,
The Washington Examiner,
7 June 2026
Adjective
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The film, which details her life in Tehran as the willful daughter of intellectual Marxists, is a reminder that Iranians are just like everyone else, Satrapi told the Associated Press in a 2007 interview in Cannes.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
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The teenager was arrested for 12 counts of willful/malicious kill/maim/torture animal -- horse and three counts of felony malicious destruction of private property over $5,000, authorities said.—
Emily Shapiro,
ABC News,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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Researchers have been looking into ways to reduce the stubborn inflammation HIV causes in the central nervous system.—
Smita S. Iyer,
The Conversation,
8 June 2026
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The findings, published in 2025 in Brain Stimulation, point to a fundamentally new way of treating one of the most stubborn psychiatric conditions, using a miniaturized implant that delivers brief bursts of stimulation only during key moments of exposure therapy.—
Samantha Agate,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Contumacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contumacious. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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