noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
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
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UK:/dɪs.əˈbiː.dɪəns/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:D IH2 S AH0 B IY1 D IY0 AH0 N S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:D IH2 S OW0 B IY1 D IY0 AH0 N S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Refusal to obey.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
The teacher complained of the child's disobedience.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
the failure to obey
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: noncompliance
Antonyms: obedience
Broader terms: insubordination, rebelliousness
Narrower terms: contempt, contumacy
3
noun
Meaning 3
the trait of being unwilling to obey
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
From Middle English disobedience, dysobediaunce, from Old French desobedience. By surface analysis, dis- + obedience. Displaced native Old English unhīersumnes.
Across languages
Translations
61 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
mosbindje
— refusal to obey
Arabic:
عِصْيَان
(ʕiṣyān)
— refusal to obey
Armenian:
անհնազանդություն
(anhnazandutʻyun)
— refusal to obey
Belarusian:
непаслушэ́нства
(njepaslušénstva)
— refusal to obey
Belarusian:
непадпара́дкаванне
(njepadparádkavannje)
— refusal to obey
Belarusian:
непаслухмя́насць
(njepasluxmjánascʹ)
— refusal to obey
Bulgarian:
непослушание
(neposlušanie)
— refusal to obey
Bulgarian:
неподчинение
(nepodčinenie)
— refusal to obey
Carpathian Rusyn:
нєпослух
(njeposlux)
— refusal to obey
Catalan:
desobediència
— refusal to obey
Cebuano:
paglapas
— refusal to obey
Chinese Mandarin:
不服從 /不服从
(bùfúcóng)
— refusal to obey
Czech:
neposlušnost
— refusal to obey
Czech:
vzdor
— refusal to obey
Danish:
ulydighed
— refusal to obey
Dutch:
ongehoorzaamheid
— refusal to obey
Esperanto:
malobeemo
— refusal to obey
Faroese:
ólýdni
— refusal to obey
Finnish:
tottelemattomuus
— refusal to obey
French:
désobéissance
— refusal to obey
Georgian:
დაუმორჩილებლობა
(daumorčilebloba)
— refusal to obey
Georgian:
ურჩობა
(určoba)
— refusal to obey
German:
Ungehorsam
— refusal to obey
Gothic:
𐌿𐍆𐌰𐍂𐌷𐌰𐌿𐍃𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃
(ufarhauseins)
— refusal to obey
Greek:
ανυπακοή
(anypakoḯ)
— refusal to obey
Ancient Greek:
παρακοή
(parakoḗ)
— refusal to obey
Ancient Greek:
ἀπείθεια
(apeítheia)
— refusal to obey
Hebrew:
אי־ציות
(y-tziut)
— refusal to obey
Hindi:
अवमानना
(avmānnā)
— refusal to obey
Hungarian:
engedetlenség
— refusal to obey
Hungarian:
engedetlenkedés
— refusal to obey
Irish:
aimhriar
— refusal to obey
Irish:
anumhlaíocht
— refusal to obey
Irish:
doriarthacht
— refusal to obey
Irish:
easumhlaíocht
— refusal to obey
Irish:
míréir
— refusal to obey
Italian:
disobbedienza
— refusal to obey
Japanese:
不服従
(fufukujū)
— refusal to obey
Korean:
불복종
(bulbokjong)
— refusal to obey
Latvian:
nepaklausība
— refusal to obey
Malayalam:
അനുസരണക്കേട്
(anusaraṇakkēṭŭ)
— refusal to obey
Norwegian:
ulydighet
— refusal to obey
Old English:
unhīersumnes
— refusal to obey
Pannonian Rusyn:
нєпослух
(njeposlux)
— refusal to obey
Polish:
nieposłuszeństwo
— refusal to obey
Portuguese:
desobediência
— refusal to obey
Russian:
неповинове́ние
(nepovinovénije)
— refusal to obey
Russian:
непослуша́ние
(neposlušánije)
— refusal to obey
Russian:
неподчине́ние
(nepodčinénije)
— refusal to obey
Northern Sami:
jeagohisvuohta
— refusal to obey
Scottish Gaelic:
eas-ùmhlachd
— refusal to obey
Upper Sorbian:
njeposłušnosć
— refusal to obey
Spanish:
desobediencia
— refusal to obey
Swedish:
olydnad
— refusal to obey
Old Swedish:
ōlyþna
— refusal to obey
Tagalog:
pagsuway
— refusal to obey
Ukrainian:
непоко́ра
(nepokóra)
— refusal to obey
Ukrainian:
непокі́рність
(nepokírnistʹ)
— refusal to obey
Ukrainian:
неслухня́ність
(nesluxnjánistʹ)
— refusal to obey
Ukrainian:
непо́слух
(nepóslux)
— refusal to obey
Urdu:
نافَرْمان٘بَرْداری
(nāfarmāṉbardārī)
— refusal to obey