defiance

noun

di-ˈfī-ən(t)s How to pronounce defiance (audio)
Definition of defiancenext
1
as in rebellion
refusal to obey any defiance of the authoritarian regime would have dire consequences

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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

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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

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.
Recent Examples of defiance In his view, that defiance forced the GOP to take extreme measures and go it alone. — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 12 July 2026 If these acts of defiance against a postliterate culture seem futile, the holdouts lose nothing by trying. — Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026 Additionally, occasional rule-breaking and defiance are considered a normal part of child and adolescent development. — Elizabeth Dowdell, The Conversation, 6 July 2026 The funeral was also used to project defiance, with thousands of mourners filling Tehran and chanting for revenge. — Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 6 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for defiance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defiance
  1. rebellion
  2. opposition
  3. aggression
  4. willfulness
  5. resistance
  6. aggressiveness
  7. rebelliousness
  8. objection
Noun
  • Kathleen insists that Lukas was likely incinerated, along with all of the other corpses that piled up in the Down Deep during the rebellion.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 17 July 2026
  • In the film, out September 11, Garfield plays Ploughman, the legendary leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 July 2026
Definition of rebellion
Noun
  • Nobody could accuse Keegan of lacking the quality to perform against elite-level European opposition, given his success with Liverpool and Hamburg.
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • There has been some opposition, including from the Mauthausen Committee, Austria’s main Holocaust survivors’ group, which has argued both that a police station is inappropriate and that more should be done to draw attention to Hitler’s crimes.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
Definition of opposition
Noun
  • What if Penelope’s waiting is her own form of aggression, a way of holding a space, for as long as possible, that excludes the men and their own attempts at power?
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 July 2026
  • When scientists temporarily disabled mole-rats’ olfactory sensory neurons with chemicals, the aggression towards strangers disappeared.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 21 July 2026
Definition of aggression
Noun
  • Those leaders who ignore or flout the law aren’t merely unethical but fatally arrogant, putting their childish willfulness over the wisdom of generations.
    — David Brooks, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
  • 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
Definition of willfulness
Noun
  • The collective leadership that has emerged in the absence of Khamenei’s son Mojtaba, the new supreme leader, appears to believe that resistance is the only option for now.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • Targeting the hardest waste – plastic With global plastic production now exceeding 460 million tonnes annually, the material’s extreme resistance to degradation has raised serious environmental concerns.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 July 2026
Definition of resistance
Noun
  • The coach hopes that expanded duties for Webb, a 2017 third-round pick who made one career NFL start, translate into growth for the Broncos’ offense and improvement for Nix in key areas, including accuracy, touch and aggressiveness.
    — Mike Jones, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • Cannon breaks down the accountability, aggressiveness and the perspective needed to play effective defense after the team’s reset week.
    — John W. Davis, Oc Register, 5 July 2026
Definition of aggressiveness
Noun
  • Whether writing five decades ago or today, the genre’s most insightful commentators have always observed how punk fuses rebelliousness with commodification, capitalism with resistance.
    — Kyle Devine, Longreads, 14 July 2026
  • Marji’s rebelliousness, both admirable and terrifying for those who love her, is her salient characteristic.
    — Hillary Chute, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026
Definition of rebelliousness
Noun
  • The people who did it anyway The objection says courage doesn't survive the incentives.
    — Sachin H. Jain, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
  • In one case, the panel concluded Martinez improperly allowed two high school students to sit with him on the bench during a hearing despite an objection from one of the parties.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 17 July 2026
Definition of objection

Phrases Containing defiance

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defer (to)
defiance
defiances
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Cite this Entry

“Defiance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defiance. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on defiance

Nglish: Translation of defiance for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about defiance

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