defiance
1 Americannoun
-
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.
noun
noun
-
open or bold resistance to or disregard for authority, opposition, or power
-
a challenging attitude or behaviour; challenge
Other Word Forms
- nondefiance noun
- predefiance noun
Etymology
Origin of defiance
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French; equivalent to defy + -ance
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.
Iran's surviving leaders have voiced defiance and said that counter-attacks were justified as self-defense.
From Barron's
Then comes a line that sounds less like defiance than habit:
From BBC
To someone unfamiliar with the condition, all could be mistaken for intoxication, defiance or guilt.
From Los Angeles Times
She also cut her hair short - an act of defiance in a village where girls are expected to grow it long.
From BBC
As the upset to end all upsets loomed large, Scotland pounded hard at the Welsh line, their desperation in full flow, the home defiance bordering on the heroic.
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.
