Synonyms of defiant

defiant

adjective

di-ˈfī-ənt 

as in rebellious

given to resisting authority or another's control

the defiant puppy refused to let go of the football

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rebellious
• rebel
• stubborn
• willful
• contrary
• disobedient
• adamant
• contumacious
• dogged
• mischievous
• unruly
• rigid
• wayward
• recalcitrant
• insubordinate
• obstreperous
• naughty
• restive
• intractable
• ungovernable
• refractory
• dissident
• balky
• unrelenting
• froward
• wild
• rude
• untoward
• resistant
• recusant
• insurgent
• uncooperative
• uncontrollable
• incompliant
• obstinate
• bad
• mutinous
• uncompromising
• headstrong
• implacable
• obdurate
• opinionated
• peevish
• unbending
• unyielding
• mulish
• negativistic
• noncooperative
• hardheaded
• inflexible
• pertinacious
• immovable
• fractious
• unmanageable
• impudent
• adamantine
• insolent
• pigheaded
• disrespectful
• monkeying
• wrongheaded
• disorderly
• undisciplined
• perverse
• nonconformist
• self-willed
• ornery
• errant
• ungracious
• uncouth
• discourteous
• inconsiderate
• impertinent
• unmannerly
• impolite
• uncivil
• misbehaving
• ill-mannered
• monkeyish
• ill-natured
• ill-bred

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• obedient
• docile
• submissive
• compliant
• cooperative
• amiable
• amenable
• deferential
• tractable
• acquiescent
• agreeable
• conformable
• behaved
• respectful
• disciplined
• polite
• yielding
• biddable
• courteous
• obliging
• well-bred
• servile
• ruly
• obsequious
• subservient
• orderly
• slavish
• proper
• decorous
• mannerly
• manageable
• controllable
• trainable
• kowtowing
• governable

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of defiant

Juano Hernandez, one of the finest of all American actors, plays a proudly defiant Black man falsely accused of murder. — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 15 July 2026

Her face displays the trademark unibrow and faint mustache — a gender-bending look that, scholars say, reflects Kahlo’s defiant repudiation of the classic female aesthetic. — Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026

England’s quarterfinal win against Argentina in the 1966 World Cup was rife with dissension and remembered for a defiant act by Argentine captain Antonio Rattin after he was ejected in the 36th minute following two fouls. — Miami Herald, 14 July 2026

Iranian leaders have been defiant that Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz. — Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR, 13 July 2026