defied

American  

[dih-fahyd] / dɪˈfaɪd /

adjective

1. challenged or resisted boldly or openly; rebelled against.

   Both novels end with a degree of reconciliation and acceptance between the defied parent and the wayward child.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of defy.

Other Word Forms

• undefied adjective

Etymology

Origin of defied

First recorded in 1810–20; defy ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective; defy ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb

Example Sentences

Once Rangers made it 2-1, Celtic had nothing left, only more indecision, more doubt and more tactical switches that defied logic.

From BBC

But this weekend defied the notion that only a few schools were preordained to contend.

From The Wall Street Journal

But what they witnessed in the Rose Bowl on Thursday defied decades of history—and Alabama’s grip on reality.

From The Wall Street Journal

Former Big Ten weakling Indiana defied all conventional wisdom to become the nation’s only undefeated team and claim its first-ever No. 1 ranking.

From The Wall Street Journal

The U.S. economy has defied many of the dire predictions from earlier this year.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• confront
• disregard
• elude
• flout
• ignore
• mock
• oppose
• provoke
• resist
• ridicule
• spurn
• thwart
• violate
• withstand