as in rebellion
refusal to obey
they gave up on training the dog to fetch because of his constant disobedience
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Recent Examples of disobedience
In the end, her disobedience—forged in tandem with and in opposition to her tribe—felt unmoored without a fellow-Mitford’s pigtail to pull.
—
Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
Moja Rowa Colorful disobedience is how Moja Rowa cofounders Yelena Mojarova and Edward Benedikt Sittler characterize their creative spirit and brand ethos.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2025
The ladies move closer to God through acts of disobedience, debauchery, and disgrace; by visiting seedy places and commingling with the disreputable.
—Nicole Flattery, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Many individuals remain out of necessity, not due to willful disobedience , but because of sudden changes in personal or political circumstances—including armed conflict, economic collapse, or family emergencies.
—Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disobedience
Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
Moja Rowa Colorful disobedience is how Moja Rowa cofounders Yelena Mojarova and Edward Benedikt Sittler characterize their creative spirit and brand ethos.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2025
The ladies move closer to God through acts of disobedience, debauchery, and disgrace; by visiting seedy places and commingling with the disreputable.
—Nicole Flattery, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Many individuals remain out of necessity, not due to willful disobedience , but because of sudden changes in personal or political circumstances—including armed conflict, economic collapse, or family emergencies.
—Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disobedience
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disobedience
Noun
-
We were labeled as ‘frat rock’ by more than one magazine, but that in itself was almost a rebellion against the homogenization of what was then grunge.—
Josh Crutchmer,
Rolling Stone,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Punk has always been about rebellion and rejecting the status quo.—
Fiction Non Fiction,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The lower-polling Democrats reacted with defiance; all but one filed paperwork to officially declare their candidacy.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
10 Mar. 2026
-
There would be no defiance of the odds by the Ducks on Sunday, when their third period came and went without a goal, just as the first two had.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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
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The orphan’s predicament is as much a matter of willfulness as of survival—inseparable, as in the works of Charles Dickens, from a dream of being somehow rescued by the idea of an adult world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The pseudo-goth hair and costume choices speak to an inner rebelliousness that isn’t so much unleashed as forced loose by a system that values the appearance of a mythical impartiality over her humanity, leaving her with little recourse but to step outside the confines of the law.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
23 Feb. 2026
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The natural obstinacy and rebelliousness of Israa’s teenage years are hyperaccelerated by culture clashes with both her family and the other kids around her.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disobedience.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disobedience. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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