defiant
adjective
de·fi·ant di-ˈfī-ənt 
dē-
: full of or showing a disposition to challenge, resist, or fight : full of or showing defiance : bold, impudent
defiant rebels
a defiant refusal
Mantor struck a defiant pose, his chin out, and rocked for a moment on the heels of his boots.
Christopher Ketcham
Christopher Ketcham
Synonyms
- balky
- contrary
- contumacious
- disobedient
- froward
- incompliant
- insubordinate
- intractable
- obstreperous
- rebel
- rebellious
- recalcitrant
- recusant
- refractory
- restive
- ungovernable
- unruly
- untoward
- wayward
- willful
- wilful
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
He's taken a defiant stand on the issue. the defiant puppy refused to let go of the football
Recent Examples on the Web The incident, followed by Smith’s regretful-yet-defiant acceptance speech for best actor, vaporized excitement inside the Dolby Theatre and devoured any conversation about the Oscars online that was not about What Will Smith Just Did on Live TV. Adam B. Vary, Variety, 29 Mar. 2022 Viktor Orban, Hungary’s prime minister, was defiant. Matthew Continetti, WSJ, 18 Aug. 2022 But Pelosi, a longtime China critic who visited Tiananmen Square two years after the Chinese military opened fire on student protesters there, was defiant. Paul Mozur, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Aug. 2022 Many suspects arrested in the shootings were defiant, suggesting that nothing would come of the charges against them because the pandemic had shut down most of the court system. Alec Macgillis, ProPublica, 19 July 2022 Nearly three years after Greene's May 10, 2019 death with still no one criminally charged, Hollingsworth's internal affairs interview in September 2020 stands as a defiant, haunting voice from the grave. Jim Mustian, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2022 Nearly three years after Greene's May 10, 2019, death with still no one criminally charged, Hollingsworth's internal affairs interview in September 2020 stands as a defiant, haunting voice from the grave. CBS News, 31 Mar. 2022 With the variant’s sudden emergence, the country will become even more of a no-man’s land where the compliant and the defiant face off. Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2021 Alibaba used to be the most defiant in its dealings with the regulators, which once looked the other way as the e-commerce giant bullied its smaller competitors and vendors. New York Times, 29 Apr. 2021 See More
Adam B. Vary, Variety, 29 Mar. 2022 Viktor Orban, Hungary’s prime minister, was defiant. Matthew Continetti, WSJ, 18 Aug. 2022 But Pelosi, a longtime China critic who visited Tiananmen Square two years after the Chinese military opened fire on student protesters there, was defiant. Paul Mozur, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Aug. 2022 Many suspects arrested in the shootings were defiant, suggesting that nothing would come of the charges against them because the pandemic had shut down most of the court system. Alec Macgillis, ProPublica, 19 July 2022 Nearly three years after Greene's May 10, 2019 death with still no one criminally charged, Hollingsworth's internal affairs interview in September 2020 stands as a defiant, haunting voice from the grave. Jim Mustian, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2022 Nearly three years after Greene's May 10, 2019, death with still no one criminally charged, Hollingsworth's internal affairs interview in September 2020 stands as a defiant, haunting voice from the grave. CBS News, 31 Mar. 2022 With the variant’s sudden emergence, the country will become even more of a no-man’s land where the compliant and the defiant face off. Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2021 Alibaba used to be the most defiant in its dealings with the regulators, which once looked the other way as the e-commerce giant bullied its smaller competitors and vendors. New York Times, 29 Apr. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
in part borrowed from French défiant "mistrustful," from present participle of défier "to mistrust, challenge, defy entry 1," going back to Old French; in part from defi(ance) + -ant entry 2
First Known Use
1583, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing defiant
Kids Definition
defiant
adjective
de·fi·ant di-ˈfī-ənt
: showing a willingness to resist
… the boy had not run but stood still and defiant … William Armstrong, Sounder
William Armstrong, Sounderdefiant
adjective
as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control the defiant puppy refused to let go of the football Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- rebellious
- rebel
- stubborn
- willful
- adamant
- disobedient
- contrary
- contumacious
- dogged
- unruly
- mischievous
- wayward
- rigid
- obstreperous
- recalcitrant
- insubordinate
- restive
- naughty
- intractable
- ungovernable
- wilful
- dissident
- refractory
- froward
- balky
- recusant
- wild
- rude
- resistant
- insurgent
- obstinate
- uncooperative
- incompliant
- mutinous
- uncontrollable
- headstrong
- uncompromising
- untoward
- obdurate
- implacable
- bad
- unyielding
- unbending
- peevish
- opinionated
- pigheaded
- mulish
- negativistic
- unrelenting
- monkeying
- hardheaded
- impudent
- noncooperative
- insolent
- pertinacious
- inflexible
- fractious
- adamantine
- disrespectful
- immovable
- unmanageable
- nonconformist
- wrongheaded
- ornery
- undisciplined
- self-willed
- misbehaving
- disorderly
- perverse
- errant
- ungracious
- uncouth
- discourteous
- inconsiderate
- impertinent
- unmannerly
- impolite
- uncivil
- ill-mannered
- monkeyish
- ill-natured
- ill-bred
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- docile
- obedient
- submissive
- compliant
- acquiescent
- amiable
- deferential
- cooperative
- amenable
- tractable
- biddable
- agreeable
- obliging
- respectful
- conformable
- behaved
- polite
- disciplined
- courteous
- yielding
- obsequious
- ruly
- servile
- subservient
- slavish
- orderly
- decorous
- mannerly
- proper
- well-bred
- controllable
- manageable
- governable
- kowtowing
- trainable