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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contumacious
Adjective
-
Enter rebellious wild child Violet with the solution.—
Christina Grace Tucker,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026 -
The nurturing Moon in your 11th House of Charity uplifts rebellious Uranus, potentially sparking surprising invites or plan shifts.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The Rebel Loon Project, which uses a a version of the rebel loon logo shared online as available for free use, has heard from supporters of other MLS teams.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Mrie’s memoir is a useful primer, if hardly the last word, on the complexities of the civil war and the shortcomings of the rebel forces.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
If some of the Penguins were upset by the news, Rust was simply defiant.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
-
In recent days, the president has remained defiant on the issue, lashing out at the justices for delivering a legal setback on his tariffs, and looking to impose new global tariffs in a different way.—
Ana Ceballos
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
This willful overreach is more or less business as usual for Albarn and his old housemate Hewlett, who, by conceiving this cartoon combo of multiracial punks in 1998, advanced a vision of pop hybridity that anticipated our age of cultural superabundance.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Savoy pleaded guilty this week to one count of willful failure to account for and pay over trust fund taxes.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In business, this same perseverance can be invaluable when navigating competitive and fluctuating markets, stubborn problems or enduring long timelines that don’t pay immediate dividends but for which the rewards are worth the wait.—
Paul Fitzgerald,
Rolling Stone,
3 Mar. 2026
-
For stubborn black spots, make a paste using baking soda and a small amount of water.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
3 Mar. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Contumacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contumacious. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
