defiance

noun

de·​fi·​ance di-ˈfī-ən(t)s 

dē-

1

: the act or an instance of defying : challenge

jailed for defiance of a court order

2

: disposition to resist : willingness to contend or fight

dealing with a child's defiance

Phrases

in defiance of

: contrary to : despite

seemingly in defiance of the laws of physics

He returned to the pulpit May 22 in defiance of an order by church leaders banning him from television preaching for one year.

—Daniel E. Kubiske

Synonyms

• balkiness
• contrariness
• contumacy
• disobedience
• frowardness
• insubordination
• intractability
• obstreperousness
• rebellion
• rebelliousness
• recalcitrance
• refractoriness
• unruliness
• waywardness
• willfulness

Example Sentences

any defiance of the authoritarian regime would have dire consequences

the troubled youth seems to have an ingrained defiance to authority of any sort

Recent Examples on the Web

While these acts of defiance are rarer in more conservative areas, they are increasingly being seen in towns and cities. —Farnaz Fassihi, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2023

Although these acts of defiance are rarer in more conservative areas, they are increasingly being seen in towns and cities. —Farnaz Fassihi, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Feb. 2023

And yet there are signs of disaffection: protests, individual acts of defiance reported on Telegram and other social media. —David Remnick, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2023

When a rock festival held in Tallinn in the summer of 1988 was shut down by Soviet authorities, thousands of Estonians took to the streets, waving Estonian flags and singing patriotic songs in a bold show of defiance of Soviet rule. —Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 16 Feb. 2023

The camera roams from the top of their heads to their toes, wanders across their chests and backsides, soaking up the details of defiance. —Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2023

Self-care becomes a rite of defiance in the face of oppression and injustice. —Stephan Rabimov, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2023

Their acts of defiance express a universal will to freedom, a desire for religious and civil liberty, for self-government and rule of law, that remains alive in even the most barren and hostile environments. —Matthew Continetti, National Review, 4 Feb. 2023

The brave act of defiance, which took place on Dec. 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, led to a year-long bus boycott by Montgomery's Black residents. —Diane J. Cho, Peoplemag, 1 Feb. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English diffiaunce, defyaunce, borrowed from Anglo-French defiance, difiaunce, from defier, desfier "to renounce, challenge, defy entry 1" + -ance, -aunce -ance

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing defiance

• in defiance of

• in defiance of

Kids Definition

defiance

noun

de·​fi·​ance di-ˈfī-ən(t)s 

1

: the act or an instance of defying : challenge

2

: a tendency to resist : contempt of opposition