CONTUMACIOUS Synonyms: 117 Similar and Opposite Words

contumacious

adjective

ˌkän-tü-ˈmā-shəs

Definition of contumacious

as in rebellious

given to resisting authority or another's control the judge threatened to charge the contumacious witness with contempt of court

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for contumacious

Adjective

Vivienne Westwood, who died in 2022, helped define the punk fashion movement and became internationally known for rebellious designs that challenged conventional ideas of fashion and style.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 19 Sep. 2026
Emma and Lizzie belong to a wealthy New England family and were once close, but as Lizzie and her rebellious housemaid Bridget Sullivan (Vicky Krieps) become deeply entangled, their relationship strains.

— Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of rebellious

Adjective

The bloc also called on the Houthis to cease all military actions, attacks against civilian shipping and for Iran to end its support for the rebel group.

— Sam Meredith,Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026
Big Psi for rebel exoplanet Planets form from disks of gas and dust that surround infant stars.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of rebel

Adjective

His music was defiant and bombastic, and critics and fans alike regarded him as a kind of pop messiah.

— Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
The defiant speech by President Masoud Pezeshkian marked a striking instance of a foreign leader addressing the world body while their country is at war with the host nation.

— Farnoush Amiri, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of defiant

Adjective

But where Hwan’s Christianity is a willful, grotesque misreading of the Bible, Latif actively wrestles with his moral shortcomings.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
The title refers not only to the horror film my protagonist, Maya, is trying to make, but also to the city’s new masters and to those living in a zombified state of willful ignorance.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of willful

Adjective

The 10-year yield’s rapid climb above 5% shows how quickly investors’ expectations have shifted toward additional tightening from the Federal Reserve in light of stubborn inflation.

— Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2026
Simulations show a surface coating cuts the energy needed to strip sulfur from 2D materials, easing a stubborn chip manufacturing problem.

— Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of stubborn

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controverts

contumacious

contumacy

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“Contumacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contumacious. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of contumacious

adjective

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