1
as in rebellion
refusal to obey
any defiance of the authoritarian regime would have dire consequences
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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
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3
as in aggression
an inclination to fight or quarrel
a deeply troubled person who seemed the very soul of defiance
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of defiance
And this special show certainly presented the perfect opportunity for Lipa to display her own brand of Churchillian defiance.
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Mark Sutherland, Variety, 18 Oct. 2024
There is a sense of defiance among many in the Jewish community here – not to give up and let fear win.
—Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Oct. 2024
Director/Producer: Jeremy Workman In 2003, eight young Rhode Island artists created a secret apartment in a hidden space inside a mall as an act of defiance against gentrification and an expression of bold, ingenious creativity.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2024
This act of violent defiance has rekindled his love.
—Abraham Josephine Riesman, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for defiance 
Mark Sutherland, Variety, 18 Oct. 2024
There is a sense of defiance among many in the Jewish community here – not to give up and let fear win.
—Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Oct. 2024
Director/Producer: Jeremy Workman In 2003, eight young Rhode Island artists created a secret apartment in a hidden space inside a mall as an act of defiance against gentrification and an expression of bold, ingenious creativity.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2024
This act of violent defiance has rekindled his love.
—Abraham Josephine Riesman, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for defiance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defiance
Noun
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Sofia’s haircut is an early sign of her rebellion; a shaggy mullet that calls back to Jane Fonda in the 1970s thriller Klute.Gavia Baker-Whitelaw, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024
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There are no major qualifications, but members of Congress and certain other office-holders are barred from participating, along with anyone who has engaged in insurrection or rebellion.Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
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With Trump once again taking the reins of American democracy, Newsom has wasted no time in positioning himself as a national opposition leader, as pundits expected.Grant Stringer, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024
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That same month, Senegal reversed democratic backsliding with an opposition presidential victory by 44-year-old Bassirou Diomaye Faye, after two-term incumbent president Macky Sall failed to lift term limits.Larry Diamond, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2024
Noun
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So perhaps the podcast was both: an act of love and an act of aggression.Lili Anolik, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024
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Common symptoms of a rapid squirrel include walking in circles, falling over, drooling, aggression, and seizures and muscle spasms, Critter Control reports.Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
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In 2016, more than 80 percent of Taiwanese people believed that resistance in a potential conflict with China would be futile; by 2022, the proportion of the population expressing this view had nearly halved to 43 percent.David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2024
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Ras Al Khaimah was previously best known for pearl-diving, its ceramics business and a sweeping mountain range with a 3,000 year-old fort which was the last line of resistance against British forces in 1819.Caroline Reid, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
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That immediately elicited objections from the South Arkansas Minerals Association, which also objected to the December application, and dozens of other mineral rights owners.Ainsley Platt, arkansasonline.com, 5 Nov. 2024
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That expansion came over the objection of the court's chief justice at the time.Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The spike in homophobia and homophobic violence has led Ivorian gay communities and human rights groups to express concerns that the hostility could endanger the country's reputation for comparative tolerance.Tess Foley-Cox, theweek, 7 Nov. 2024
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Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, international alarm has arisen over the hostilities taking place around southern Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP), which Russia captured at the start of the war.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Such disrespect is in danger of being normalized as banter.Tim Ellis, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024
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Stuff your tote with root vegetables that won’t burst all over your car on the way home (no disrespect, tomatoes).Editors of Bon Appétit, Bon Appétit, 1 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The disobedience that led to Braun’s removal from that gym might’ve been a trait that needed maturation, but the underlying swagger and cockiness are essential to what his current coach, Michael Malone, wants from him.Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 23 Oct. 2024
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Whistle-blowing, by contrast, is closer to deliberate disobedience on the battlefield.Michael Walzer, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2018
Thesaurus Entries Near defiance
Cite this Entry
“Defiance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defiance. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
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