Synonyms of defies

defies

verb

present tense third-person singular of defy

1

as in disobeys

to go against the commands, prohibitions, or rules of

in those days a woman was brave if she defied fashion and wore white after Labor Day

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disobeys
• ignores
• violates
• mocks
• resists
• rejects
• dismisses
• opposes
• rebels (against)
• disregards
• fights
• flouts
• overlooks
• scorns
• transgresses
• withstands
• passes over
• breaks
• breaches
• revolts (against)
• shrugs off
• pooh-poohs
• disputes
• scoffs (at)
• infringes
• combats
• disobliges
• brushes (off)
• mutinies (against)
• winks (at)
• tunes out
• contests
• bucks
• overpasses

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• follows
• obeys
• conforms (to)
• serves
• complies (with)
• minds
• yields (to)
• submits (to)
• surrenders (to)
• defers (to)
• concedes (to)
• keeps
• stoops (to)
• observes
• cooperates (with)
• agrees (to)
• capitulates (to)
• obliges
• hears
• heeds
• notices
• regards
• attends
• goose-steps (to)
• assents (to)
• accedes (to)
• marks
• acquiesces (to)
• listens (to)
• notes
• watches

2

as in dares

to invite (someone) to take part in a contest or to perform a feat

after missing the target, she defied her boyfriend to do better

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dares
• challenges
• confronts
• stumps
• braves
• breasts
• faces
• brazens
• outbraves
• beards
• outfaces

3

as in confronts

to oppose (something hostile or dangerous) with firmness or courage

a rescue team willing to defy the raging storm

Synonyms & Similar Words

• confronts
• faces
• dares
• withstands
• resists
• braves
• meets
• breasts
• encounters
• stands up to
• brazens
• outbraves
• stands
• beards
• approaches
• outfaces
• opposes
• fights
• challenges
• fronts
• affronts
• faces up (to)
• repels
• corners
• accosts
• contends (with)
• combats
• squares (off)
• battles

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• avoids
• sidesteps
• shuns
• shirks
• eschews
• dodges
• eludes
• escapes
• evades
• ducks
• shakes
• funks

4

as in resists

to refuse to give in to

a bicyclist who regularly defies illness and infirmity in order to compete in races

Synonyms & Similar Words

• resists
• opposes
• withstands
• fights
• repels
• contradicts
• contends (with)
• hinders
• thwarts
• frustrates
• challenges
• counters
• bucks
• baffles
• obstructs
• stems
• disputes
• combats
• balks
• contests
• checks
• foils
• battles

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• yields (to)
• submits (to)
• succumbs (to)
• surrenders (to)
• gives in (to)
• bows (to)
• stoops (to)
• capitulates (to)
• knuckles under (to)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of defies

Its sweetness and floral notes create a vibrancy that defies categorization entirely. — Kiana Murden, Vogue, 7 Aug. 2026

But the emotional charge of his celebrity defies his self-conception as a neutral arbiter. — Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2026

Christopherson said the wider drop-off defies the simple currency logic that normally governs foreign buying behavior. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 July 2026

So singular that it all but defies any kind of tea-leaf-reading or, heaven forbid, attempts at replication. — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026

Astronomy typically has neater labels than that, but the CD-35 2772 solar system defies such tidiness. — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 22 July 2026

Set in the modern Scottish Highlands, Laird is an epic family saga in which a proud Scot defies a shadowy American billionaire hellbent on buying up the glens. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 22 July 2026

John Coltrane’s music defies gravity and time, and changed the way people think and live. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 21 July 2026

Adding tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of building defies the affordability argument. — Kileen Lindgren, Oc Register, 16 July 2026