Synonyms of defy

defy

verb

di-ˈfī 

1

as in to disobey

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

• disobey
• ignore
• violate
• resist
• mock
• dismiss
• oppose
• reject
• rebel (against)
• fight
• disregard
• flout
• overlook
• withstand
• pass over
• revolt (against)
• transgress
• tune out
• break
• disoblige
• breach
• scorn
• scoff (at)
• combat
• shrug off
• infringe
• dispute
• wink (at)
• pooh-pooh
• contest
• brush (off)
• mutiny (against)
• buck
• overpass

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• obey
• follow
• comply (with)
• conform (to)
• serve
• submit (to)
• mind
• yield (to)
• surrender (to)
• keep
• defer (to)
• concede (to)
• cooperate (with)
• observe
• agree (to)
• stoop (to)
• capitulate (to)
• hear
• oblige
• goose-step (to)
• accede (to)
• listen (to)
• heed
• attend
• notice
• watch
• regard
• assent (to)
• mark
• note
• acquiesce (to)

2

as in to dare

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

• dare
• challenge
• confront
• stump
• brave
• breast
• brazen
• beard
• face
• outbrave
• outface

3

as in to confront

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

a rescue team willing to defy the raging storm

Synonyms & Similar Words

• confront
• face
• dare
• brave
• withstand
• stand up to
• resist
• breast
• beard
• encounter
• brazen
• meet
• outbrave
• outface
• fight
• challenge
• front
• stand
• oppose
• face up (to)
• approach
• affront
• repel
• combat
• accost
• battle
• contend (with)
• corner
• square (off)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• avoid
• sidestep
• shirk
• dodge
• shun
• eschew
• duck
• evade
• escape
• elude
• shake
• funk

4

as in to resist

to refuse to give in to

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• resist
• oppose
• withstand
• fight
• repel
• contradict
• thwart
• combat
• challenge
• contend (with)
• hinder
• buck
• contest
• frustrate
• counter
• obstruct
• dispute
• balk
• check
• stem
• battle
• baffle
• foil

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• submit (to)
• yield (to)
• succumb (to)
• bow (to)
• give in (to)
• surrender (to)
• stoop (to)
• capitulate (to)
• knuckle under (to)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of defy

The off-the-shoulder sleeves harkened to a slight Victorian era style, with a voluminous design and gravity-defying appearance. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026

For a Black kid growing up on the South Side of Chicago, that journey defied the odds associated with where my pin dropped. — Matt Brewer, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026

Related Stories Each investigation leads Haruto to uncommon diseases concealed behind deaths that at first seem to defy explanation, and to the social problems that sit beneath them. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026

The news organizations were bracing for another legal showdown, but the White House indicated there was no plan to defy the court order. — Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026