Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The act or an example of defying; bold resistance to an opposing force or authority.
- n. Intentionally contemptuous behavior or attitude; readiness to contend or resist.
- idiom. in defiance of In spite of; contrary to: went on strike in defiance of union policy.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Suspicion; mistrust.
- n. The act of one who defies; a challenge to fight; an invitation to combat; a call to an adversary to fight if he dare.
- n. A challenge to meet in any contest; a call upon one to make good any assertion or charge; an invitation to maintain any cause or point.
- n. Contempt of opposition or danger; a daring or resistance that implies contempt of an adversary, or disregard of any opposing force: as, he pressed forward in defiance of the storm.
Wiktionary
- n. The feeling, or spirit of being defiant.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. The act of defying, putting in opposition, or provoking to combat; a challenge; a provocation; a summons to combat.
- n. A state of opposition; willingness to flight; disposition to resist; contempt of opposition.
- n. A casting aside; renunciation; rejection.
WordNet 3.0
- n. intentionally contemptuous behavior or attitude
- n. a hostile challenge
- n. a defiant act
Etymologies
- Middle English defiaunce, from Old French desfiance, from desfier, to defy; see defy.
Examples
“Now I feel by imperceptible signs, which I cannot yet interpret but will later, that his defiance is about to thaw.”
“She was heavily critical of what she described as the defiance of the state of Georgia and its inability to admit that it had made a mistake.”
The Guardian: Troy Davis execution going ahead after US supreme court refuses stay
“She was angry at his approval of what she called my defiance of her father, and insisted that I was the catspaw of one of Heriot's plots to vex him.”
“She was angry at his approval of what she called my defiance of her father, and insisted that”
“Mexico has many myths but this was a wonderful truth, six military academy cadets, in defiance of Gen. Nicholas Bravo's order ... read more famous-people perspectives”
Mexico's famous historical people - a chronological list of Mexican makers of history
“I venture to send the enclosed scrap for your Daughters, in defiance of your criticism.”
“This President invaded a sovereign nation in defiance of the UN.”
Think Progress » DeMint Lies: ‘I Did Not Want’ Health Care ‘To Be The President’s Waterloo’
“Her torch raised high in defiance against the surrounding destruction.”
365 tomorrows » 2010 » January : A New Free Flash Fiction SciFi Story Every Day
“Screaming with delight, I pull a tight three-gee loop in defiance of the enemy and in pure celebration of life.”
365 tomorrows » 2009 » December : A New Free Flash Fiction SciFi Story Every Day
“The biggest mistake that Obama has made is his failure to require Cheney and his immediate subordinates for their authorization, indeed, encouragement of torture in defiance of the Constitution, as well as international treaties which the US signed long ago.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘defiance’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4084 more...
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®emovies
Movies or TV shows where the titles are also common words, generally one-word titles.
lost, alien, bug, elephant, siege, gladiator, flock, captivity, piano, roots, freaks, moonstruck and 269 more...
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Words that are also movies
Unabashedly stolen from a comment made by courier12.
vertigo, serendipity, casablanca, psycho, jaws, fantasia, stagecoach, network, rocky, giant, platoon, unforgiven and 285 more...
asativum Q: What's the difference between a lawyer and a rooster?
A: Every morning the rooster wakes up and clucks defiance. Jun 21, 2008
bilby Thanks sionnach. I finally caught up with this. Neatly written piece, too. Jun 21, 2008
sionnach The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio:
prizewinner lady Jan 2, 2008
bilby Which contest? Jan 2, 2008
sionnach Didn't that contest-winning lady come from Defiance? Jan 2, 2008
bilby A small town in Ohio, USA. Jan 2, 2008
chained_bear The H.M.S. Defiance was listed as a "vessel belonging to the army" (British army), captured at Yorktown in 1781. Oct 29, 2007