defiance
noun
de·fi·ance
di-ˈfī-ən(t)s 
dē-
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
Daniel E. KubiskeSynonyms
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
The tradition of Día de los Muertos is paradoxically both an embrace of the inevitability of death and defiance against it.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
Some three decades after Marsha’s untimely death, Tourmaline sees her great subject’s impact everywhere — on the red carpet and in the halls of power, but especially in our community’s capacity to show up at both: to exude joy in defiance.
—Wren Sanders, Them, 23 Oct. 2024
The invisible firmament is sustained not by the defiance of national sovereignty, as Srinivasan recommends, but by its clever manipulation.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
After arriving in France following the fall of the Afghan government in 2021, she’s had to build a new life, shadowed by fears for her family and Taliban reprisals for her defiance against their chokehold on the rights of Afghan women.
—Joseph Ataman, CNN, 13 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for defiance 
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R. Daniel Foster, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
Some three decades after Marsha’s untimely death, Tourmaline sees her great subject’s impact everywhere — on the red carpet and in the halls of power, but especially in our community’s capacity to show up at both: to exude joy in defiance.
—Wren Sanders, Them, 23 Oct. 2024
The invisible firmament is sustained not by the defiance of national sovereignty, as Srinivasan recommends, but by its clever manipulation.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
After arriving in France following the fall of the Afghan government in 2021, she’s had to build a new life, shadowed by fears for her family and Taliban reprisals for her defiance against their chokehold on the rights of Afghan women.
—Joseph Ataman, CNN, 13 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for defiance
Dictionary Entries Near defiance
Cite this Entry
“Defiance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defiance. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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