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

Phrases

in defiance of

: contrary to : despite

seemingly in defiance of the laws of physics

He returned to the pulpit May 22 in defiance of an order by church leaders banning him from television preaching for one year.

—Daniel E. Kubiske

Synonyms

• balkiness
• contrariness
• contumacy
• disobedience
• frowardness
• insubordination
• intractability
• obstreperousness
• rebellion
• rebelliousness
• recalcitrance
• refractoriness
• unruliness
• waywardness
• willfulness

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

City voters passed the ordinance in defiance of the state, and out of concern that there are insufficient safeguards to prevent fraudulent voting. —Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 15 Jan. 2025

But that sense of defiance goes hand-in-hand with a sense of neediness in Warren’s driven world. —Chris Willman, Variety, 15 Jan. 2025

Through the lens of a journalist and descendant, Hawkins not only reclaims his family’s history but also confronts the lingering effects of intergenerational trauma, showing that healing is an act of defiance in itself. —Marybeth Gasman, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025

There is a hope, among Wall Street fund managers and labor economists alike, that hiring can remain steady and that — in defiance of the usual odds — the unemployment rate can sustain its tame levels for the foreseeable future. —Talmon Joseph Smith, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025

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

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