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 Despite the drumbeat of warnings and sporadic enforcement, there is widespread defiance of official regulations, especially among young Iranian women. — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026 Watson is keen to keep championing that legacy of defiance in Sarajevo. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026 The recent stock market advance has been impressive in its defiance of major concerns, as a bullish consensus takes shape on Wall Street. — Sarah Min, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026 The device's user manual also warns it should not be used in response to verbal defiance, or for punishment, torture or horseplay. — ABC News, 12 Aug. 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
  • During the Sengoku period, clan leader Isshin Ashina leads a successful rebellion against the rulers to secure Ashina’s independence.
    — Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026
  • According to a recent paper by the French Institute of International Relations, the SAF and its supporters claim to be putting down an armed rebellion as Sudan’s legitimate government.
    — Mat Nashed, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of rebellion
Noun
  • Despite some opposition from a handful of progressives and hardline conservatives, the stopgap measure, which the Senate already approved in a bipartisan vote in August, overwhelmingly passed the House, too.
    — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
  • In a key development, CSU dropped its opposition to the bills after resisting past efforts out of concern that far less costly community college degrees could siphon students from its campuses.
    — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of opposition
Noun
  • At his best, Fries flies off the ball with force and aggression.
    — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • As quotas for immigration arrests increased that spring, he was asked to press felony charges for even minor aggressions against agents.
    — Emily Witt, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 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
  • Art and activism in Cuba In 2013, the artist began following the activism of the Ladies in White, the mothers and wives of political prisoners in Cuba, who have become a symbol of peaceful resistance to the dictatorship by processing to Sunday mass.
    — Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Scientists with the Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy Vermont spent the summer injecting 6,000 young elm trees with Dutch elm disease spores to test their resistance to the disease.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of resistance
Noun
  • The salaries match, Strus is an expiring contract while Niko has four years left and the 3-point shooting and the aggressiveness of Max are way better than Niko’s.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026
  • This could bring up feelings of resentment, competitiveness or passive aggressiveness, especially if there’s been something simmering in the background.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 16 Aug. 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 sale has drawn objections from the flight attendants union and a software firm that says some of the data isn’t Spirit’s to sell.
    — Jeff Kleinma, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Collins, Scott, and Whitmer spent much of the past year and a half framing their objections as cautionary.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 Aug. 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 3 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on defiance

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about defiance

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