defiantly
Americanadverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of defiantly
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Explanation
If you act defiantly, you’re a rebel. On "Everyone Wear Red" Day, you show up defiantly dressed in head-to-toe blue, or white, or, well, anything but red. Defiantly is an adverb that is linked to the noun defiance which is defined as "bold disobedience." It is one thing to behave badly and hope to get away with it. It is quite another to want to be seen behaving badly — that's action done defiantly: it defies, or openly goes against an order or rule. People who act defiantly might have a good reason — or they might just want attention.
Vocabulary lists containing defiantly
"The Lottery," Vocabulary from the short story
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"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson
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This Week in Pop Culture : January 5 - 11, 2019
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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.
These principles obliged Bundists to cling, defiantly and then desperately, to limited peoplehood as a minority among hostile neighbors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Ebra grins mischievously, almost defiantly, and they begin to prep for an unpredictable day of service that plays out over seven of the season’s eight episodes.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
González developed her classic yet defiantly modern approach while studying at the University of Seville, where Spanish masters such as Diego Velázquez and Francisco de Zurbarán painted in the naturalist Baroque tradition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
"Venezuela is Venezuela, but Cuba is Cuba," he said defiantly.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
She stared defiantly toward Jonah, as if she expected him to spring to her side, to link arms and agree: “Yeah! What she said!”
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
