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defiant

UK/dɪˈfaɪ(j)ənt/US/dɪˈfaɪənt/
adjectiveB2+Occasional — familiar, but not everyday · #8,580 of 15,258neutral

Defiant means openly refusing to obey. Chin up, arms folded, not moving.

The openness is the heart of it, since somebody quietly ignoring a rule is not defiant, and somebody standing in front of it is. The word describes looks and statements as much as actions — a defiant stare, a defiant message posted an hour later. It sits between brave and stubborn, and which one it sounds like depends entirely on whether you agree with the person. The noun is defiance.

Definitions of defiant

  1. 1adjectivedefiantOpenly refusing to obey or to give in.B2+

    “She remained defiant throughout the hearing.”

Also accepted in games: rebellious

Where it comes from

  1. French

    défiant

  2. English, today

    defiant

French défiant, from the verb défier. a doublet of diffident. by surface analysis, def(i) + -ant.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Sharper Adjectives, A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 4 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word