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
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of defiance
The number of Iranians using Starlink, a satellite internet service engineered by SpaceX, has skyrocketed, as more than 100,000 people accessed the service in defiance of the government's internet restrictions, according to Iran International.
—
Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
Savage, a transfer from Kansas State, said Lanning’s halftime message wasn’t one of defeat but of defiance.
—Christopher Kamrani, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
Netanyahu gave one of them, Bezalel Smotrich, the head of the Religious Zionist Party, control over most aspects of settlement, including granting legal status to outposts established in defiance of Israeli law.
—Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 19 Dec. 2024
Modi’s immense and sustained popularity is partly about his ability to project a kind of Churchillian defiance in the face of these threats.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for defiance 
Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
Savage, a transfer from Kansas State, said Lanning’s halftime message wasn’t one of defeat but of defiance.
—Christopher Kamrani, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
Netanyahu gave one of them, Bezalel Smotrich, the head of the Religious Zionist Party, control over most aspects of settlement, including granting legal status to outposts established in defiance of Israeli law.
—Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 19 Dec. 2024
Modi’s immense and sustained popularity is partly about his ability to project a kind of Churchillian defiance in the face of these threats.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for defiance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defiance
Noun
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The resignation of one of his most loyal allies blindsided Trudeau and sparked a caucus rebellion.—
Amanda Coletta The Washington Post,
arkansasonline.com,
7 Jan. 2025
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After their victories on the battlefield, American forces prevented a Filipino rebellion through psychological warfare, infiltration, surveillance, torture, extrajudicial executions, and the formation of native militias tasked with suppressing dissent.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
7 Jan. 2025
Noun
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President-elect Trump’s legal team submitted a written opposition Friday to the Georgia Supreme Court over Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s request to have the state’s high court review her removal from the former president’s 2020 election interference case.—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
17 Jan. 2025
-
Leadership Contest Challenges , likely Freeland or Carney, faces the prospect of a no-confidence vote, with opposition parties united in their determination to unseat the Liberal government.—
Amir Daftari,
Newsweek,
17 Jan. 2025
Noun
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In his four years as secretary of state, Antony Blinken has traveled more than a million miles on the job, countering Russian aggression in Ukraine with a reinvigorated NATO alliance, and managing American interests in the ongoing turmoil across the Middle East.—
David Morgan,
CBS News,
10 Jan. 2025
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Not just because of his physicality, aggression and reading of the game but because his work on the ball will have to improve significantly during his time at City.—
Sam Lee,
The Athletic,
10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The history of Native resistance, the philosophy of love, the medicalization of madness, color in fairy tales, and dinosaur bones.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
8 Jan. 2025
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Both of those numbers suggest that today’s discount, with rates looking at a fair bit of upside resistance from here, is overdone.—
Brett Owens,
Forbes,
8 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The film has been criticized for trafficking in clichés and gender stereotypes, for equating transitioning with death, for presenting it as a kind of moral redemption, for making older cisgender audiences feel virtuous by endorsing it, among other objections.—
Julian Sancton,
The Hollywood Reporter,
11 Jan. 2025
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And appeals courts have upheld the gag order over Trump’s First Amendment objections.—
Zach Schonfeld,
The Hill,
10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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For example, shrinking the size and scope of government is a goal which could help the country, but reducing or trimming government programs for almost any constituency would be fraught with hostility and political costs.—
Frank Lavin,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
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While the temporary pause in hostilities provides reprieve for the Gazan civilians, Hamas and their ideological allies are claiming the agreement as a victory.—
Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell,
Newsweek,
15 Jan. 2025
Noun
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There was a celebration in the building on New Year’s Eve, with some strands apparently still stuck in the rafters — no disrespect to KU.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
6 Jan. 2025
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The vast majority of females in the book are described with vulgar disrespect by the various characters and the narrator.—
Brittany Wallman,
Miami Herald,
2 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Yes From an early age, we are taught that obedience is good, and disobedience is bad.—
Dr. Sunita Sah,
TIME,
4 Jan. 2025
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In the past six years, Ohio has issued close to 885,000 suspensions and expulsions for comments and misbehaviors tagged as disobedience or disruption.—
Meredith Kolodner,
USA TODAY,
1 Apr. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near defiance
Cite this Entry
“Defiance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defiance. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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