defiance
noun
a daring or bold resistance to authority or to any opposing force.
defiance
1 American
[dih-fahy-uhns]
/ dɪˈfaɪ əns /
noun
-
a daring or bold resistance to authority or to any opposing force.
-
open disregard; contempt (often followed byof ).
defiance of danger; His refusal amounted to defiance.
-
a challenge to meet in combat or in a contest.
idioms
-
bid defiance to, to offer resistance; defy.
-
in defiance of, in spite of; notwithstanding.
There was a splendid audience in defiance of the rainstorm.
Defiance
2
American
[dih-fahy-uhns]
/ dɪˈfaɪ əns /
noun
defiance
British
/ dɪˈfaɪəns /
noun
-
open or bold resistance to or disregard for authority, opposition, or power
-
a challenging attitude or behaviour; challenge
defiance
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of defiance
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French; equivalent to defy + -ance
Explanation
Stand up when the powers that be order you to sit down, and you've given a fine example of defiance. It happens when someone or a group of someones openly flouts or challenges authority. Refusing to go to bed when your parents tell you to? That's an act of defiance. Defiance comes from French — specifically to the Old French word defier, which means "to defy." (Don't mix it up with deify; that means to make someone or something into a god.) If you've ever studied Latin, you'll spot the fi in fidare, "to trust."
Vocabulary lists containing defiance
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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The Outsiders
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Walk Two Moons
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In a move of half superstition and half defiance, he pulls up a photo of Hyperliquid co-founder Jeff Yan on his monitor to oversee the trade.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
"That was about respecting your place in society, but in the revolutionary 1640s and 1650s, hat-honor became a real gesture of defiance in the political sphere."
From Science Daily • May 7, 2026
Media critics were taken with the quasi-feminist defiance Kelly could exude, even when she was simply defending the circumstances of her own working-mom life.
From Slate • May 6, 2026
This stubborn defiance is also present in Chambers’ commitment to the “golden age” of decorative art.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
The Tonist curate showed defiance rather than fear.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
