DEFIANCE

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does defiance mean? 

• DEFIANCE (noun)
  The noun DEFIANCE has 3 senses:

1. intentionally contemptuous behavior or attitude

2. a hostile challenge

3. a defiant act

  Familiarity information: DEFIANCE used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DEFIANCE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Intentionally contemptuous behavior or attitude

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

defiance; rebelliousness

Hypernyms ("defiance" is a kind of...):

intractability; intractableness (the trait of being hard to influence or control)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "defiance"):

insubordination (defiance of authority)

obstreperousness (noisy defiance)

Derivation:

defiant (boldly resisting authority or an opposing force)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A hostile challenge

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("defiance" is a kind of...):

challenge (a call to engage in a contest or fight)

Derivation:

defiant (boldly resisting authority or an opposing force)

defy (challenge)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A defiant act

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("defiance" is a kind of...):

resistance (group action in opposition to those in power)

Derivation:

defiant (boldly resisting authority or an opposing force)

 Context examples 

And because of all this, he carried himself more boldly, with a touch of defiance that was new in him.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

They glared at each other in mutual defiance, while all round rose the distant whisper, "We will kill you—we will kill you if we can."

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

My aunt smoothed her dress and shook her head, as if she smoothed defiance of the whole world out of the one, and shook it out of the other.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

This wild stirring of yeasty life, this terrific revolt and defiance of matter that moved, perplexed and interested him.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

"I am not running away," he replied with child-like defiance, at the same time pulling on his mittens.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

There was a sort of sulky defiance in her eyes, which only goes with guilty knowledge.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Your influence, sir, is evidently potent with him: he will never set you at defiance or wilfully injure you.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Mr. Hyde appeared to hesitate, and then, as if upon some sudden reflection, fronted about with an air of defiance; and the pair stared at each other pretty fixedly for a few seconds.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

She longed to know what at the moment was passing in his mind—in what manner he thought of her, and whether, in defiance of everything, she was still dear to him.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

He, however, answered mildly, I would willingly afford you every aid in your pursuit, but the creature of whom you speak appears to have powers which would put all my exertions to defiance.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)