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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As for the Banks sisters, Ashley (Akira Akbar) works through a rebellious phase during her freshman year as Hilary (Coco Jones) goes on a journey of self-exploration.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
3 Nov. 2025
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To be clear, there is no sense that Rondón and Ugás are defending the old guard or suggesting that a docile, starving population pinioned under the grip of a dictatorship is big-picture preferable to a rebellious insurgency.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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An elderly man sits on the floor, dozens of bodies lying around him, before a Sudanese rebel fighter approaches and shoots him.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
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The 64-year-old actor famously portrays rebel leader Morpheus, captain of the Nebuchadnezzar, in the hit sci-fi action film franchise.—
Erin Clack,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Cushla’s world is full of defiant spirits, including her mother, a woman struggling with addiction who spends most of her days bound to her living room and the bottom of a bottle.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
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The mayor-elect was defiant in his victory speech.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disobedient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disobedient. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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