name
Meaning 1
A small city in Shelby County, Iowa, United States.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
defiance
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
-
Received-Pronunciation: /dɪˈfaɪ(j)əns/
-
US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
-
rhymes with -aɪəns
-
CMU ARPABET: D IH0 F AY1 AH0 N S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
name
Meaning 2
An unincorporated community in Perry County, Kentucky, United States.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 3
An unincorporated community in St. Charles County, Missouri, United States.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 4
A former community in Worth County, Missouri.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 5
A city, the county seat of Defiance County, Ohio, United States. Named after Fort Defiance.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 6
An unincorporated community and census-designated place in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, United States.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
The feeling, or spirit of being defiant.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 8
Open or bold resistance to or disregard for authority, opposition, or power; refusing to give up.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 9
A challenging attitude or behaviour; challenge.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
a defiant act
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: resistance
noun
Meaning 11
intentionally contemptuous behavior or attitude
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: rebelliousness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: intractability, intractableness
Narrower terms: insubordination, obstreperousness
noun
Meaning 12
a hostile challenge
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: challenge
History
Etymology
From Middle English defiaunce, from Old French desfiance, from desfier. By surface analysis, defy + -ance.
Across languages
Translations
40 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: непокорство (nepokorstvo) — the feeling of being defiant
- Catalan: desafiament — the feeling of being defiant
- Chinese Mandarin: 反抗 (fǎnkàng) — the feeling of being defiant
- Chinese Mandarin: 蔑視 /蔑视 (mièshì) — the feeling of being defiant
- Czech: vzdor — the feeling of being defiant
- Dutch: opstandigheid — the feeling of being defiant
- Dutch: koppigheid — the feeling of being defiant
- French: défi — the feeling of being defiant
- German: Trotz — the feeling of being defiant
- German: Auflehnung — the feeling of being defiant
- German: Widerstand — the feeling of being defiant
- Interlingua: defiantia — the feeling of being defiant
- Italian: sfida — the feeling of being defiant
- Japanese: 反抗 (hankō) — the feeling of being defiant
- Japanese: 無視 (mushi) — the feeling of being defiant
- Central Kurdish: بەربەرەکانی (berberekanî) — the feeling of being defiant
- Latin: contumācia — the feeling of being defiant
- Macedonian: пркос (prkos) — the feeling of being defiant
- Māori: whakatumatuma — the feeling of being defiant
- Māori: whakatōreatanga — the feeling of being defiant
- Norwegian: motstand motvilje trass — the feeling of being defiant
- Polish: opór — the feeling of being defiant
- Portuguese: desafio — the feeling of being defiant
- Russian: непоко́рство (nepokórstvo) — the feeling of being defiant
- Russian: неповинове́ние (nepovinovénije) — the feeling of being defiant
- Russian: пренебреже́ние (prenebrežénije) — the feeling of being defiant
- Spanish: desafío — the feeling of being defiant
- Spanish: desafiamiento — the feeling of being defiant
- Turkish: meydan okuma — the feeling of being defiant
- Ottoman Turkish: نسبت (nisbet) — the feeling of being defiant
- German: offener Ungehorsam — open resistance to authority, opposition, or power
- German: Widersetzung — open resistance to authority, opposition, or power
- Spanish: desafío — open resistance to authority, opposition, or power
- Spanish: desafiamiento — open resistance to authority, opposition, or power
- Ukrainian: спро́тив (sprótyv) — open resistance to authority, opposition, or power
- Bulgarian: предизвикателство (predizvikatelstvo) — challenging attitude or behaviour; challenge
- German: anstrengendes Verhalten — challenging attitude or behaviour; challenge
- German: problematische Haltung — challenging attitude or behaviour; challenge
- German: Herausforderung — challenging attitude or behaviour; challenge
- Irish: dúshlán — challenging attitude or behaviour; challenge
Real reading context