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

Crafted with a classic fit, the leather jacket added unexpected tensions to Watts’s Q&A attire, a contrasting piece that incorporated a rebellious and youthful energy.

— Julia Teti, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026
The duo leaned all the way into the era’s punk-rock aesthetic, serving the kind of rebellious, perfectly undone style that practically defined the early aughts.

— Amanda Le, InStyle, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of rebellious

Adjective

Thousands of demonstrators rallied in Kosovo on Thursday in the biggest nationwide protest yet against recent war crimes convictions for four of its wartime rebel leaders.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
De la Espriella, who was elected in June, has suspended talks with rebel groups and has taken an iron-fist approach to crime.

— CBS News, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of rebel

Adjective

The song sets the tone for an album that the pair describe as both hopeful and defiant, with songs addressing love, loss and injustice.

— SPIN Staff, SPIN, 28 Sep. 2026
This was especially defiant as Zegler’s co-star in the Disney film was Gal Gadot, who served in the Israeli army and has continued to voice support for her home country.

— Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of defiant

Adjective

In an act of something like willful, somewhat disturbing friendliness, or a desire not to have to deal with Leo the next time he’s locked out, Clive makes a copy of Leo’s key and installs a lock box by his door.

— Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Within this literature, no decade is more doom-laden than the nineteen-thirties, when misguided hope and willful blindness led the world’s democracies to grossly underestimate the threat of Fascism.

— Beverly Gage, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of willful

Adjective

The recent rise in yields reflects concerns about stubborn inflation and hawkish central bank commentary, fueling expectations that interest rates could remain elevated for longer.

— Sarah Min,Davis Giangiulio,Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Even so, scaling up could force Google and SpaceX to confront some stubborn physics.

— Peter Hall, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 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 4 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of contumacious

adjective

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