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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Your 6th House of Labor hosts mental Mercury, which squares rebellious Uranus in your 9th House of Journeys, stirring tension between tradition and modernization.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Feb. 2026 -
Lang went on to appear in most of Fuller’s films, including playing a rebellious German countess in his 1980 war epic The Big Red One, and several by their friend Wim Wenders.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The image, known as the rebel loon, blends the outline of a loon with the familiar rebellion emblem.—
Nick Lunemann,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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Russia, which in recent years has been focused on the fighting in Ukraine and kept only a small military contingent in Syria, didn’t try to counter the rebel offensive.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Other defiant moments on a global stage The NFL has long maintained guardrails around the halftime show, particularly when performances edge toward political commentary.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Feb. 2026
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Bill and Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify in person to a Republican congressional investigation into notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, apparently ending their defiant campaign of resistance.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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And his time was one too of witnessing the willful destruction of entire cultures, the taking of lands, the Trail of Tears.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Feb. 2026
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The fundamental flaw in the TrumpRx model lies in a misunderstanding — or perhaps a willful misrepresentation — of how most Americans pay for their prescription medications.—
Ryan N. Hansen,
STAT,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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California continues to face a stubborn digital divide.—
William Jones,
Sacbee.com,
3 Feb. 2026
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Experts warn that the stubborn metric has long-term implications for learning.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
3 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Contumacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contumacious. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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