as in rebellion
refusal to obey
they gave up on training the dog to fetch because of his constant disobedience
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Recent Examples of disobedience
Fernando Melo Flores, a 40-year-old Irvine resident, was charged with one felony count of possession of child pornography, one felony count of unauthorized computer access, and one misdemeanor count of willful disobedience of a court order.
—
Ryanne Mena, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2026
Others mistakenly describe these acts as flakiness, disobedience, laziness, or personal failure in the absence of context.
—Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2026
His smile, coyly upturned at the corners, gives the impression of a patriarch who would resort to violence at the first sign of disobedience.
—Alex Shams, Time, 14 Mar. 2026
More to the point, the government's understaffing and high caseload is a problem of its own making and absolutely does not justify flagrant disobedience of court orders.
—Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for disobedience
Ryanne Mena, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2026
Others mistakenly describe these acts as flakiness, disobedience, laziness, or personal failure in the absence of context.
—Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2026
His smile, coyly upturned at the corners, gives the impression of a patriarch who would resort to violence at the first sign of disobedience.
—Alex Shams, Time, 14 Mar. 2026
More to the point, the government's understaffing and high caseload is a problem of its own making and absolutely does not justify flagrant disobedience of court orders.
—Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for disobedience
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disobedience
Noun
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Shop the Marc Jacobs Beauty Collection Now Naturally, Jacobs also infused an undercurrent of rebellion.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
28 May 2026
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Investor rebellion The announcement of Manifold’s departure from BP came as a surprise to many analysts and investors earlier in the week, with the company currently in the midst of a fundamental strategic reset.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
Noun
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From Stonewall’s 1969 uprising to today’s golf tournaments, human rights summits and bar crawls, Pride events in Los Angeles, New York and global cities mix festival energy with defiance.—
Geoff Mulvihill,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
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Tensions escalated when Tigray held regional elections in defiance of thata federal delay, leading to a political standoff that erupted into a civil war in November 2020.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
Noun
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Those leaders who ignore or flout the law aren’t merely unethical but fatally arrogant, putting their childish willfulness over the wisdom of generations.—
David Brooks,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
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Though the Durutti Column had been a disaster, Wilson was fascinated by the guitarist, who admired punk’s willfulness even though his own musical taste tended toward jazz, blues, and the classical tradition.—
Brad Shoup,
Pitchfork,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The pseudo-goth hair and costume choices speak to an inner rebelliousness that isn’t so much unleashed as forced loose by a system that values the appearance of a mythical impartiality over her humanity, leaving her with little recourse but to step outside the confines of the law.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
23 Feb. 2026
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The natural obstinacy and rebelliousness of Israa’s teenage years are hyperaccelerated by culture clashes with both her family and the other kids around her.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disobedience.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disobedience. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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