DISOBEYS Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

disobeys

verb

present tense third-person singular of disobey

as in ignores

to go against the commands, prohibitions, or rules of students who disobey their teachers and use cell phones in class drivers who consistently disobey traffic laws

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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 disobeys People don’t do what they’re supposed to, or someone betrays someone else for money or power or spite, or maybe a dragon just disobeys its rider and decides to murder a prince. — Brian Grubb, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026 Contempt of Congress is a federal misdemeanor in which an individual willfully disobeys or impedes a congressional investigation. — Connor Greene, Time, 6 Aug. 2026 Still, a young kid is a young kid no matter the era, and to fulfill his wish of seeing real dinosaurs, Arco disobeys his parents. — Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 6 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for disobeys

Verb

Is Jan Crawford meant to adhere to standards while the editor-in-chief consistently ignores them?

— Daniel Strauss, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2026
In Bethany Joy Lenz’s debut fiction novel, a painter spends her days honoring ordinary women the world overlooked — ones whose deaths were caused or enabled by a system that ignores them.

— Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of ignores

Verb

Among them, Carter found that the request violates federal law precluding altering of election rules on the eve of an election.

— Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
The lawsuit argues the change violates the Administrative Procedure Act because it was adopted without explanation and the First Amendment, which protects lawyers' ability to advise people of their legal rights and seek prospective clients.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of violates

Verb

Fielder’s work, both predating his buzzy feature-length project and the film itself, defies simple description.

— Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Set in the modern Scottish Highlands, Laird is an epic family saga in which a proud Scot, Drummoch (Branagh), defies a shadowy American billionaire, Peter Bergstrom (Sarsgaard), hellbent on buying up the glens.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of defies

Verb

Continue reading … PULLING THE STRINGS — Bruce Blakeman mocks Hochul as 'puppet' of socialist Mamdani.

— , FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
We are presented with a few potentially hissable villains, including an attorney for the state (Christian Rubeck) who mocks the Gheorghius’ faith and a frostily inflexible social worker, Gunda (Ellen Dorrit Petersen).

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of mocks

Verb

The environment of wartime New York rings out silently but urgently from Nighthawks; as a temple of fluorescent light persisting through the infernal darkness, Hopper’s diner figuratively and symbolically resists the blackouts imposed upon the city.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
The shampoo nourishes the scalp with panthenol and niacinamide, while the conditioner fortifies strands with lipids for thicker-looking hair that resists breakage.

— Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of resists

Verb

Her husband, Dave Flint, 60, a former Republican who opposes Trump and now votes for Democrats, lamented that an issue affecting so few people has become such a national controversy.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Brittany Stonesifer is a voting rights attorney at Common Cause California, which opposes the measure.

— Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of opposes

Verb

Remaining steadfast in his dharma (religious and moral principles), Rama rejects all of Lakshmana’s suggestions for resistance and insists that obedience to his father and preservation of righteousness must take precedence over royal position.

— Tamanna Nangia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
However, a large percentage of the Brazilian electorate also consistently rejects the prospect of voting for another Bolsonaro for president.

— David Unsworth, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of rejects

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disobeying

disobeys

disoblige

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“Disobeys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disobeys. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of disobeys

verb

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