as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control
the disobedient child refused to eat his vegetables
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Recent Examples of disobedient
The news organizations also found that Garrison employees frequently removed students from their classrooms and sent them to crisis rooms when the students were upset, disobedient or aggressive.
—
Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 20 May 2025
Fed Up in Illinois Dear Fed Up: Is Edie mean, arrogant, disobedient and rude in the presence of her parents, or has she been invited to spend time with your girls separately?
—Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2025
When Ballard was asked at the end of the season why Richardson needed to be demoted for the stakes of his job to finally sink in, the GM compared his QB’s behavior to that of a disobedient child.
—James Boyd, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
Sadly, they’re sometimes used because a guardian thinks the dog is being willfully disobedient, rather than examining the underlying issue that’s creating the problem behavior (for example, lack of training or not meeting the dog’s exercise or emotional needs).
—Dawn Kovell, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disobedient
Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 20 May 2025
Fed Up in Illinois Dear Fed Up: Is Edie mean, arrogant, disobedient and rude in the presence of her parents, or has she been invited to spend time with your girls separately?
—Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2025
When Ballard was asked at the end of the season why Richardson needed to be demoted for the stakes of his job to finally sink in, the GM compared his QB’s behavior to that of a disobedient child.
—James Boyd, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
Sadly, they’re sometimes used because a guardian thinks the dog is being willfully disobedient, rather than examining the underlying issue that’s creating the problem behavior (for example, lack of training or not meeting the dog’s exercise or emotional needs).
—Dawn Kovell, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disobedient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disobedient
Adjective
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Do something semi-rebellious in honor of Lane Kim Like dyeing your hair or joining a band!—
Andrea Wurzburger,
PEOPLE,
5 Oct. 2025
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Kimmel is once again on the air throughout the country now that rebellious affiliate owners Nexstar and Sinclair have backed down and agreed to resume airing his ABC late-night show after a weeklong standoff.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Aside from games like volleyball and dominoes, Gach says some children stage fake ambushes on one another while pretending to be government forces or rebel fighters.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
5 Oct. 2025
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The Security Council has been monitoring a 2016 peace accord between the government and what was then the largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, at the government's request.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Though the song order is Easter egg intentional – as with everything Swift – it’s bookended by a declaration of romantic salvation and a narrative from the perspective of a weary, yet defiant showgirl.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
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Polis has sought to avoid public fights with the federal government over immigration, unlike his more publicly defiant counterparts in Illinois and California.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disobedient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disobedient. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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