contumacious

adjective

ˌkän-tü-ˈmā-shəs How to pronounce contumacious (audio)
Definition of contumaciousnext
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
  1. rebellious
  2. rebel
  3. defiant
  4. willful
  5. stubborn
Adjective
  • For seven seasons, a hodgepodge crew mixing Starfleet and the rebellious Maquis put aside their differences after they got zapped 70,000 lightyears away from Earth, deep into the uncharted Delta Quadrant.
    — Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 4 July 2026
  • This could bring about sudden ideas, or trigger rebellious impulses and creative imagination.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026
Definition of rebellious
Adjective
  • In early 2025, fighting broke out between Congolese authorities and groups led by the rebel paramilitary group M23.
    — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 6 July 2026
  • In the middle of the developments are are lawyer Wayne Hsiung and rebel Rose Patterson, who through the process of filming, fell in love, got married and adopted James, a dog rescued from the facility in March.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 July 2026
Definition of rebel
Adjective
  • Femi was defiant as he was interviewed in the ring following his victory.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 29 June 2026
  • Laurie Whitwell Were South Africa unlucky after defiant defensive display?
    — Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 28 June 2026
Definition of defiant
Adjective
  • In 2018, the IRS closed the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP), ending the formal disclosure program designed primarily for taxpayers with potential criminal exposure or willful violations relating to unreported offshore holdings.
    — Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Federal law generally prohibits direct service connection for addiction classified as resulting from willful misconduct.
    — Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 29 June 2026
Definition of willful
Adjective
  • Colombia earned its passage into the round of 16 with a 1-0 win over stubborn Ghana.
    — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • Pickle Robot’s Physical AI unloaders tackle the dock door bottleneck, which is a stubborn pain point in inbound logistics, while AmbiStack handles the structured, high-volume stacking that feeds downstream operations.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 6 July 2026
Definition of stubborn
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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controverts
contumacious
contumacy
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Cite this Entry

“Contumacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contumacious. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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