1
as in rebellion
refusal to obey
any defiance of the authoritarian regime would have dire consequences
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in opposition
the inclination to resist
the troubled youth seems to have an ingrained defiance to authority of any sort
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in aggression
an inclination to fight or quarrel
a deeply troubled person who seemed the very soul of defiance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defiance
The people of Gaza, who show up to our sites every day in defiance of Hamas’ threats and brutality, deserve it.
—
Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 28 June 2025
Four years later, an America-first cultural crackdown has freed the Met to cast off the hair shirt of reckoning and celebrate its diverse holdings in a spirit of defiance.
—Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
Small acts of defiance are happening in real life, too.
—Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
The Florida attorney general should be a role model of respect for the courts rather than one of defiance.
—Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for defiance
Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 28 June 2025
Four years later, an America-first cultural crackdown has freed the Met to cast off the hair shirt of reckoning and celebrate its diverse holdings in a spirit of defiance.
—Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
Small acts of defiance are happening in real life, too.
—Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
The Florida attorney general should be a role model of respect for the courts rather than one of defiance.
—Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for defiance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defiance
Noun
-
The final season picks up right where season 2 left off, with the deadly games resuming after Seong Gi-hun’s failed rebellion and Hwang Jun-ho continuing his search for the elusive island.—
Regina Kim,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
-
Luckily, the late ’70s and the early ’80s helped reframe that perception, loosening the bounds of traditional beauty standards amid the era of punk rebellion.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
30 June 2025
Noun
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As for the loyal opposition, Democrats are in bad odor with voters and even many of their own partisans after Joe Biden’s handlers gaslighted the public on the frailty and declining faculties of the octogenarian president.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2025
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The green bank’s goals run counter to the Trump administration’s opposition to policies that address climate change and its embrace of fossil fuels.—
Michael Phillis,
Chicago Tribune,
4 July 2025
Noun
-
Rotating Carriers To Multiple Hotspots USS Nimitz is now operating in the Red Sea to deter further aggression from Iran and its regional proxies.—
Peter Suciu,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
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According to her July 2025 report to the UN Human Rights Council, Albanese claimed the U.S. may be ‘liable for the international crime of aggression’ for President Trump's strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
9 July 2025
Noun
-
This reduces side effects and lowers the risk of antibiotic resistance.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
7 July 2025
-
Even if bitcoin is running into resistance at the $100,000-$110,000 level, other bets in the crypto market have taken off, including the digital assets infrastructure providers, such as Coinbase, which rose by 40% in June, its best month since last November.—
Afshan Musani,
CNBC,
7 July 2025
Noun
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His objection automatically ended debate, per Council rules, and led Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, who spoke favorably of the resolution, to send it to the Committee on Civil Rights, Immigrant Advancement and Racial Equity.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
10 July 2025
-
Combs' legal team proposed probation officials provide a pre-sentence investigation report by August 29, with objections filed by his attorneys by September 5.—
Joshua Rhett Miller,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
In our experience we were met with outright hostility for our Christian beliefs.—
BJ,
Denver Post,
3 July 2025
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But these weaknesses stem largely from underfunding and political hostility – not from any intrinsic flaw in the model.—
Sumit Agarwal,
The Conversation,
3 July 2025
Noun
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To address the effects of disrespect that women encounter, researchers point to resilience as a characteristic for successful women leaders to develop.—
Susan Madsen,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
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And some supporters hesitated to show up, concerned their advocacy would be associated with what many saw as her disrespect toward Native Hawaiians and local fishers.—
Time,
Time,
9 July 2025
Noun
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Misbehaviors tagged as disobedience affect Black students disproportionately and are the justification in a third of all suspension and expulsions.—
Meredith Kolodner,
USA TODAY,
1 Apr. 2024
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Will the Ruska Roma turn on one of its own for disobedience?—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
10 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defiance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defiance. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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