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

see also:

in defiance of

Synonyms of defiance

• rebellion
• willfulness
• rebelliousness
• disrespect
• contrariness
• disobedience

Examples of defiance in a Sentence

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

Her Easter Sunday performance at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939 in front of 75,000 spectators remains a touchstone of defiance in an age of racial violence. — Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026

Her decision to so publicly criticize him was a rare instance of GOP defiance, especially in her district, which Trump carried by more than a dozen points two years ago. — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2026

This defiance can be thought of as a refusal to feel shame—or, at least, as the confidence to believe that the shamers are wrong. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2026

This, itself, is the ultimate act of defiance in the face of America’s neverending frontier. — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026

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

Rhymes for defiance

• science
• appliance
• compliance
• reliance
• geoscience
• neuroscience
• noncompliance
• pseudoscience

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