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
Their act of defiance against gentrification becomes a bold expression of ingenious creativity.
—
Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025
While hilarious and adorable, owners with sassy dogs should ensure the behavior does not evolve into defiance or aggression.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Appreciate when slop could still be a display of defiance instead, and not just the visual language of cultural defeat.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2025
Saturday’s look aligned her with a brand known for its romantic defiance.
—Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defiance
Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025
While hilarious and adorable, owners with sassy dogs should ensure the behavior does not evolve into defiance or aggression.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Appreciate when slop could still be a display of defiance instead, and not just the visual language of cultural defeat.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2025
Saturday’s look aligned her with a brand known for its romantic defiance.
—Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defiance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defiance
Noun
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Readers meet Anne, who walks out of Eden not out of rebellion but love.—
Maria Williams,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
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Netanyahu, meanwhile, faces rebellion from right-wing ministers who want to block a path to Palestinian statehood and annex the West Bank.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Often, one of the pair is more offensive or box-to-box in their profile, with the other being more of a traditional, defensive-minded midfielder whose strengths are to break up opposition attacks.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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The measure was adopted along with other items as part of the board's consent agenda with no opposition.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Although the balloon incident has not been directly linked to Moscow, Lithuania's border closures add to tensions spiked by accusations of Russian incursions into NATO airspace amid Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
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Because taking league matches to America, Australia, Saudi Arabia or anywhere else would be an act of aggression.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Either of these original conditions would compel us to curb our aspirations to self-making, self-saving, and self-liberation as harmful forms of willfulness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Oct. 2025
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While this change reduces the explicit admission of willfulness, a narrative is still required.—
Virginia La Torre Jeker,
Forbes.com,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in the world, closely following lung cancer – and while treatments exist, many patients often exhibit resistance to current therapies.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
19 Oct. 2025
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The elastic band provides resistance and the weight increases the intensity of the exercise and the effort required.—
Mario Cortegana,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Prostate cancers are graded for aggressiveness in the Gleason grading system, which ranges from 6 to 10, with 10 being the most aggressive.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
21 Oct. 2025
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Doctors assess the aggressiveness of prostate cancer using a measure called the Gleason score, which ranges from 6 to 10.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The performance goes from fiery to ineffectual as DiCaprio’s character, Bob, loses his youthful rebelliousness in a haze of pot and resignation.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
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The rebelliousness can be witnessed in everything from its ’70s-in-California style to the very naming conventions Mother chooses for its viral products — adored by A-listers like Gigi Hadid, Chrissy Teigen, Millie Bobby Brown, and more.—
Kristina Rutkowski,
Footwear News,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Even so, many artists choose to make such objections public so that a general audience is aware of their stance.—
Anastasia Tsioulcas,
NPR,
20 Oct. 2025
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Cranston was not alone in his objections about Sora 2.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defiance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defiance. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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