defiant

adjective

de·fi·ant | \ di-ˈfī-ənt

, dē- \

Essential Meaning of defiant

: refusing to obey something or someone : full of defiance defiant rebels a defiant act He's taken a defiant stand/stance on the issue.

Full Definition of defiant

: full of or showing a disposition to challenge, resist, or fight : full of or showing defiance : bold, impudent defiant rebels a defiant refusal Mantor struck a defiant pose, his chin out, and rocked for a moment on the heels of his boots.— Christopher Ketcham

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About defiant

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of defiant in a Sentence

He's taken a defiant stand on the issue. the defiant puppy refused to let go of the football

Recent Examples on the Web Mark Zuckerberg's response to all this was unusually defiant. — Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 12 Oct. 2021 Ocoee was just as defiant on defense much of the night as Hicks, Jordan Phillips and Justyn Yancy were among players in on big plays. — J.c. Carnahan, orlandosentinel.com, 12 Oct. 2021 For vaccine skeptic Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro, who was infected with COVID-19 last year, his showing at the U.N. was decidedly more defiant. — BostonGlobe.com, 25 Sep. 2021 After being caught, the players got away with it and now many of them are proudly defiant of playing a season not having faith in their own abilities. — Houston Mitchell Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2021 Cuomo’s response to the attorney general’s report was characteristically defiant. — Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2021 Salah Abdeslam, who prosecutors say is the sole surviving attacker, arrived at the courthouse Wednesday under tight police escort and, when asked by the presiding judge to confirm his name, set a defiant tone. — BostonGlobe.com, 8 Sep. 2021 Salah Abdeslam, who prosecutors say is the sole surviving attacker, arrived at the courthouse on Wednesday under tight police escort, and when asked by the presiding judge to confirm his name, set a defiant tone. — New York Times, 8 Sep. 2021 Jones, who also writes a column for The Courier Journal, struck a defiant tone in his Wednesday tweet responding to the notice of the complaint. — Billy Kobin, The Courier-Journal, 1 Sep. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'defiant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.