1
as in rebellion
refusal to obey
any defiance of the authoritarian regime would have dire consequences
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in opposition
the inclination to resist
the troubled youth seems to have an ingrained defiance to authority of any sort
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in aggression
an inclination to fight or quarrel
a deeply troubled person who seemed the very soul of defiance
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defiance
But today, beachgoers continue to stroll, sunbathe and frolic buck naked on that stretch of sand, in defiance of the law.
—
Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Instead, her creation is an amalgam of disparate concepts, brought together in defiance of storytelling logic (and the opinions of test-screen audiences).
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
Despite the company’s defiance, Silicon Valley’s biggest players have remained silent.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Amini’s defiance, and subsequent death, caused the country to erupt in protest, and the outrage reverberated worldwide.
—Lily Moayeri, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defiance
Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Instead, her creation is an amalgam of disparate concepts, brought together in defiance of storytelling logic (and the opinions of test-screen audiences).
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
Despite the company’s defiance, Silicon Valley’s biggest players have remained silent.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Amini’s defiance, and subsequent death, caused the country to erupt in protest, and the outrage reverberated worldwide.
—Lily Moayeri, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defiance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defiance
Noun
-
Enslaved by a tyrannical regime for nearly half a century, everyday Iranians long passionately for their freedom, as the rebellion earlier this year showed.—
Michael M. Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
-
In 1999, the Labour government of then-Prime Minister Tony Blair evicted most of the 750 hereditary peers, though 92 were allowed to remain temporarily to avoid an aristocrats’ rebellion.—
Jill Lawless,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Orban’s conservative-nationalist party, Fidesz — Hungarian Civic Alliance, is polling behind the pro-European opposition, the Respect and Freedom Party, or Tisza.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Thomson has the title and the gavel, but time will tell who’s driving the agenda — the mayor or Pearlman, founder of the development opposition group Save Boca, who ran with Grau and Sipple as a slate.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The mayor denounced the attack as a cowardly act of aggression against the city's Jewish community.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Telegraphing our intentions by running the options through Congress would have only caused further acts of aggression by Iran and created an even worse situation.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Though the Durutti Column had been a disaster, Wilson was fascinated by the guitarist, who admired punk’s willfulness even though his own musical taste tended toward jazz, blues, and the classical tradition.—
Brad Shoup,
Pitchfork,
24 Jan. 2026
-
The orphan’s predicament is as much a matter of willfulness as of survival—inseparable, as in the works of Charles Dickens, from a dream of being somehow rescued by the idea of an adult world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
This is much more efficient and powerful than GaAs, which translates to longer detection range, better jamming resistance, and lower power consumption.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Mar. 2026
-
In 1992, after decades of external pressure and internal resistance, the country voted to end the system.—
Boyce Upholt,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Collins said the coaching staff looked at first-half film and thought the Wildcats’ hand activity and aggressiveness on defense were off.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The rest of the game passed by without any noticeable uptick in aggressiveness from the Leafs.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The pseudo-goth hair and costume choices speak to an inner rebelliousness that isn’t so much unleashed as forced loose by a system that values the appearance of a mythical impartiality over her humanity, leaving her with little recourse but to step outside the confines of the law.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
23 Feb. 2026
-
The natural obstinacy and rebelliousness of Israa’s teenage years are hyperaccelerated by culture clashes with both her family and the other kids around her.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The lawsuit claims jailers forced her to remove the covering despite her religious objections.—
Daniel Wilkerson,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Eighteen-year-olds are adults and can request euthanasia even over family objections.—
Charles Lane,
The Atlantic,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defiance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defiance. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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