defiant
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- defiantly adverb
- defiantness noun
- half-defiant adjective
- nondefiant adjective
- nondefiantness noun
- overdefiant adjective
- overdefiantness noun
- quasi-defiant adjective
- undefiant adjective
Etymology
Origin of defiant
First recorded in 1830–40; from French défiant, Old French, present participle of defier “to challenge, defy”; defy, -ant
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.
He delights in his mastery of the battlefield, military or civilian, flexing his psychological muscles with a sociopath’s defiant swagger.
From Los Angeles Times
The couple's announcement in recent weeks that they would provide testimony after all marked a reversal of their defiant position, and came as a potential contempt vote loomed in the House of Representatives.
From BBC
On this trip to Ukraine I have found a country that remains defiant.
From BBC
Such baseless reticence only makes us more defiant and less inquisitive.
From Salon
Despite the difficult week, Sir Keir sought to strike a defiant tone, telling reporters on Tuesday that he would "never walk away from the country that I love".
From BBC
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.
