as in rebellion
refusal to obey
they gave up on training the dog to fetch because of his constant disobedience
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 disobedience
Cromwell described the cooperation and disobedience of a gaggle of ducks, sheep, border collies, horses and other farm animals (most of which were real despite one animatronic sheep and some puppets) behind the scenes of the heartwarming film.
—
Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 21 July 2025
Thanks to that act of disobedience, the document is now preserved at Fort Ligonier.
—Aurora Martínez, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 July 2025
And why is the punishment for disobedience akin to literal torture?
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 July 2025
Will the Ruska Roma turn on one of its own for disobedience?
—ArsTechnica, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for disobedience
Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 21 July 2025
Thanks to that act of disobedience, the document is now preserved at Fort Ligonier.
—Aurora Martínez, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 July 2025
And why is the punishment for disobedience akin to literal torture?
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 July 2025
Will the Ruska Roma turn on one of its own for disobedience?
—ArsTechnica, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for disobedience
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disobedience
Noun
-
Readers meet Anne, who walks out of Eden not out of rebellion but love.—
Maria Williams,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Netanyahu, meanwhile, faces rebellion from right-wing ministers who want to block a path to Palestinian statehood and annex the West Bank.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Here, in two very different settings, its mix of exultation, defiance and acknowledgment of the very real possibility of defeat could not be more apt.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The Barca team also participated — in defiance of their own club hierarchy — by pausing during the first 15 seconds of their match at home to Girona the previous day.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Either of these original conditions would compel us to curb our aspirations to self-making, self-saving, and self-liberation as harmful forms of willfulness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Oct. 2025
-
While this change reduces the explicit admission of willfulness, a narrative is still required.—
Virginia La Torre Jeker,
Forbes.com,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The performance goes from fiery to ineffectual as DiCaprio’s character, Bob, loses his youthful rebelliousness in a haze of pot and resignation.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The rebelliousness can be witnessed in everything from its ’70s-in-California style to the very naming conventions Mother chooses for its viral products — adored by A-listers like Gigi Hadid, Chrissy Teigen, Millie Bobby Brown, and more.—
Kristina Rutkowski,
Footwear News,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disobedience.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disobedience. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share