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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To promote the new launch, the duo teamed up on a campaign captured on the streets of Paris by photographer Daniel Roché, with the aim of creating a series of images that reflects the fusion of youth culture and a cool, rebellious edge, Asics said.—
Stephen Garner,
Footwear News,
20 June 2026 -
The last of the rebellious slaveholding states was finally under federal control.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
19 June 2026
Adjective
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Starmer had previously vowed to stand in any formal Labour leadership race triggered by rebel lawmakers who feating a 2029 election wipeout sought to replace him.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
22 June 2026
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Many rebel groups are offshoots of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, which had been fighting to overthrow the government since the 1960s and had been the country's largest guerrilla organization.—
John Otis,
NPR,
21 June 2026
Adjective
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As for his own future, Lapid remains defiant, even as sources of financing and festival platforms risk becoming scarcer.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
18 June 2026
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This is a book about hope — the stubborn, defiant belief that even after life breaks us open, light can still pour through the cracks.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
15 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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But La Roja could not find a way past Vozinha and a stubborn defense that had an answer to everything Spain’s superstars threw at them.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 June 2026
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Meanwhile, Hanks invests the vulnerable but stubborn Woody with a delectable senior resilience.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
16 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Contumacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contumacious. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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