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
Fernando Melo Flores, a 40-year-old Irvine resident, was charged with one felony count of possession of child pornography, one felony count of unauthorized computer access, and one misdemeanor count of willful disobedience of a court order.
—
Ryanne Mena, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2026
Others mistakenly describe these acts as flakiness, disobedience, laziness, or personal failure in the absence of context.
—Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2026
His smile, coyly upturned at the corners, gives the impression of a patriarch who would resort to violence at the first sign of disobedience.
—Alex Shams, Time, 14 Mar. 2026
More to the point, the government's understaffing and high caseload is a problem of its own making and absolutely does not justify flagrant disobedience of court orders.
—Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for disobedience
Ryanne Mena, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2026
Others mistakenly describe these acts as flakiness, disobedience, laziness, or personal failure in the absence of context.
—Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2026
His smile, coyly upturned at the corners, gives the impression of a patriarch who would resort to violence at the first sign of disobedience.
—Alex Shams, Time, 14 Mar. 2026
More to the point, the government's understaffing and high caseload is a problem of its own making and absolutely does not justify flagrant disobedience of court orders.
—Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for disobedience
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disobedience
Noun
-
View gallery - 5 images There's a rebellion underway against the always-on, infinitely-scrollable nature of the smartphone.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 June 2026
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Within weeks, the new hypernationalist government mounted an effort to suppress the Russian language in the Donbas, provoking a rebellion among ethnically Russian Ukrainians.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
9 June 2026
Noun
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Cape Verde’s defiance, and the heroics of 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha in particular, will be remembered for some time in Spain.—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
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France has previously intercepted several vessels linked to Russia’s shadow fleet, which carries Russian oil in defiance of international sanctions.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
Noun
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Those leaders who ignore or flout the law aren’t merely unethical but fatally arrogant, putting their childish willfulness over the wisdom of generations.—
David Brooks,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
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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
Noun
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Marji’s rebelliousness, both admirable and terrifying for those who love her, is her salient characteristic.—
Hillary Chute,
The Atlantic,
9 June 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Disobedience.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disobedience. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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