defier

American  

[dih-fahy-er] / dɪˈfaɪ ər /

noun

1. a person who defies.

---

Etymology

Origin of defier

First recorded in 1575–85; defy + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Now, a pair of books, one recently published, one forthcoming, tell how the superstar became not only an apologist for the American military but also a serial defier of journalism’s mores.

From New York Times

In 1992, on the eve of the Barcelona Olympics, the world’s greatest basketball player met track and field’s greatest gravity defier.

From The Guardian

Nguyen’s premiere is “Revenge Song: A Vampire Cowboys Creation,” centering on Julie d’Aubigny — deft fighter, expert fencer, renowned opera singer and noted defier of gender roles before her death in 1707.

From Los Angeles Times

Mostly, though, he was a defier of the conventional ways of categorizing people in terms of race, color, creed and political beliefs.

From Los Angeles Times

An official quoted in the article said that he couldn’t understand why the friend “should lend herself to Mrs. Gardner in such an affair as this. She surely must have known Mrs. Gardner’s reputation as a defier of the Custom House authorities, and that Mrs. Gardner is almost constantly under the eye of some special agent, lest she smuggle her valuable collections into the United States.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• contender