defiance
noun
, dē-\
Definition of defiance
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Synonyms & Antonyms for defiance
Synonyms
balkiness, contrariness, contumacy, disobedience, frowardness, insubordination, intractability, obstreperousness, rebellion, rebelliousness, recalcitrance, refractoriness, unruliness, waywardness, willfulness
Antonyms
compliance, obedience, submission, subordinateness, subordination, tractability, tractableness
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Examples of defiance in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
At Chinese University, students prepared to boycott classes in defiance of an appeal from university authorities to call off the action because of the risk of unrest. — Time Staff, Time, "Students Boycott Classes on the First Day of the School Year in Hong Kong's Latest Democracy Protest," 2 Sep. 2019 As if in defiance of an organized plea against violence announced for this weekend, police reported four more shootings — including at least one homicide — in Baltimore in less than 24 hours. — Mary Carole Mccauley, baltimoresun.com, "Four shootings reported this weekend in Baltimore amid ceasefire call," 3 Aug. 2019 The new rule may be in defiance of a 2015 federal court ruling known as the Flores agreement that limited the time families could be detained to 20 days. — Julia Ainsley, NBC News, "Trump administration to lift limit on how long it can detain migrant families," 21 Aug. 2019 RECORD LABELS House music is Midwestern at its core: Forged in defiance of New York’s disco and punk waves, the underground electronic genre first circulated within Chicago’s hip late-1970s DIY circuit. — Kevin Warwick, Billboard, "Trax Records' Rachael Cain Talks House Music's 'Enduring, Spiritual' Quality on the Label's 35th Anniversary," 12 Aug. 2019 In very loud defiance of police, the penguins were found in the same spot, returning at nighttime. — Ashley Hoffman, Time, "Renegade Penguin Pair With No Respect for Authority Return to Favored Sushi Spot After Initial Removal," 16 July 2019 Kim then ramped up North Korea's testing and development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in open defiance of China's wishes. — Joshua Berlinger, CNN, "Xi Jinping leaves for Pyongyang, marking first visit by Chinese leader to North Korea in 14 years," 19 June 2019 AP Photo/Kin Cheung Hundreds gathered outside the domed planetarium of the Hong Kong Space Museum to shine their lasers in a show of defiance — and more than a little bit of trolling. — Jen Kirby, Vox, "Hong Kong protesters stage a laser show in latest challenge to Beijing," 8 Aug. 2019 President Obama made the memorial part of the national parks system in 2009 and said in a letter for the 2016 annual remembrance that the group was part of a long tradition of defiance and that their efforts led to important changes in the military. — Bill Van Niekerken, SFChronicle.com, "Port Chicago disaster: Unpublished photos of a World War II tragedy in Bay Area," 17 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'defiance.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for defiance
defiance
noun
English Language Learners Definition of defiance
See the full definition for defiance in the English Language Learners Dictionary
defiance
noun
\
Kids Definition of defiance
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