defiant
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of defiant
First recorded in 1830–40; from French défiant, Old French, present participle of defier “to challenge, defy”; see defy, -ant
Explanation
Have you ever seen a picture of a protester who is about to be carried off by police but is still shouting or resisting, fighting to the bitter end? That person is defiant. Someone who is defiant is bold, even in the face of defeat. A defiant person is usually fighting a powerful enemy. People who protest in countries controlled by dictators are defiant. Rosa Parks was defiant when she refused to give up her seat on the bus, even though the law at that time dictated that black people had to stand when whites needed a seat. Small children are defiant too, sometimes over nothing more than a request to share their toys.
Vocabulary lists containing defiant
List 3
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ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 2
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 1
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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.
Writes Ms. Aviv: “He pretended to speak casually, Andrea said, but she noticed a defiant thrill on his face.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
But Iran's chief negotiator in talks with Washington, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, struck a defiant tone.
From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026
The latter is as defiant as Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” a torch song that boasts, “It’s not about being first/but knowing how to get there.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Paraguay weathered an early German storm to produce a disciplined, defiant performance, sitting deep and absorbing pressure throughout.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
“We shall never surrender,” a grimly defiant Churchill promised, but many expected the British to fold.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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.
