as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control
the disobedient child refused to eat his vegetables
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Recent Examples of disobedient
The news organizations also found that Garrison employees frequently removed students from their classrooms and sent them to crisis rooms when the students were upset, disobedient or aggressive.
—
Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 20 May 2025
Fed Up in Illinois Dear Fed Up: Is Edie mean, arrogant, disobedient and rude in the presence of her parents, or has she been invited to spend time with your girls separately?
—Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2025
When Ballard was asked at the end of the season why Richardson needed to be demoted for the stakes of his job to finally sink in, the GM compared his QB’s behavior to that of a disobedient child.
—James Boyd, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
Sadly, they’re sometimes used because a guardian thinks the dog is being willfully disobedient, rather than examining the underlying issue that’s creating the problem behavior (for example, lack of training or not meeting the dog’s exercise or emotional needs).
—Dawn Kovell, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disobedient
Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 20 May 2025
Fed Up in Illinois Dear Fed Up: Is Edie mean, arrogant, disobedient and rude in the presence of her parents, or has she been invited to spend time with your girls separately?
—Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2025
When Ballard was asked at the end of the season why Richardson needed to be demoted for the stakes of his job to finally sink in, the GM compared his QB’s behavior to that of a disobedient child.
—James Boyd, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
Sadly, they’re sometimes used because a guardian thinks the dog is being willfully disobedient, rather than examining the underlying issue that’s creating the problem behavior (for example, lack of training or not meeting the dog’s exercise or emotional needs).
—Dawn Kovell, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disobedient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disobedient
Adjective
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Written by Kaitlin Reilly and Dorian Keyes, the film follows a rebellious bad boy and a type-A overachiever who join forces to win the student body presidency – and maybe each other’s hearts along the way.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
8 Sep. 2025
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In business, as in life, there are times when conformity is an asset, but in others, embracing your individuality, inhabiting your rebellious spirit and being a true trailblazer are what lead to success.—
Paul Fitzgerald,
Rolling Stone,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The rebel run is the biggest of them all.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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Humanitarian organizations estimate over 13 million people have been displaced by the fighting between the government’s military forces and the rebel RSF fighters, with famine and disease a by-product of the struggle for power.—
Rory Fleming,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But to Hollywood, Pusser’s defiant story was irresistible.—
Faith Karimi,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
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A day earlier, at his pre-match news conference, Pochettino sounded defensive and defiant.—
Henry Bushnell,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disobedient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disobedient. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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