defiant
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
Trump said at a news conference announcing the battleship that the construction of the first of the vessels, the USS Defiant, would begin soon, with the first ships operational in two-and-a-half years.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
Will the USS Defiant help protect the aircraft carrier, along with the various frigates, cruisers, and destroyers?
From Slate • Dec. 23, 2025
Music is a reward for efficient work in “Severance,” whether it be a Defiant Jazz dance break or a rousing marching band performance by the Choreography and Merriment department.
From Salon • Dec. 14, 2025
Appeared in the October 8, 2025, print edition as 'Local Politicians Defiant as National Guard Gathers Outside Chicago'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 7, 2025
Then finally she said, “He just stood there, Citra. His face was like stone. Defiant, and as unrepentant as his scythe.”
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.
