defiance

C2+ Topic:Law & Government

US /dɪˈfaɪəns/ UK /dɪˈfaɪəns/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
open resistance to authority or opposition

In defiance of the ban, they gathered anyway.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · open resistance to... resistance disobedience rebellion insubordination opposition contempt insolence

Opposites

obedience submission compliance deference acquiescence

Word family

Related forms defy defiant defiantly

Etymology

From Old French desfiance ('challenge, declaration of war'), from desfier ('to challenge, renounce faith'), from Vulgar Latin *disfidare, from dis- ('away') + fidus ('faithful').

desfiance Old French fidus Latin *bʰeydʰ- Proto-Indo-European

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Topics

Law & Government

# defiance

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** dɪˈfaɪəns
**IPA (UK):** dɪˈfaɪəns

## Meanings
1. open resistance to authority or opposition

## Examples
- In defiance of the ban, they gathered anyway.

## Synonyms
- resistance
- disobedience
- rebellion
- insubordination
- opposition
- contempt
- insolence

## Antonyms
- obedience
- submission
- compliance
- deference
- acquiescence

## Related Forms
- defy
- defiant
- defiantly

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: desfiance
- Root: fidus
- Root: *bʰeydʰ-

## Etymology
From Old French desfiance ('challenge, declaration of war'), from desfier ('to challenge, renounce faith'), from Vulgar Latin *disfidare, from dis- ('away') + fidus ('faithful').

## AI Etymology
Defiance is from Old French desfiance ('challenge, declaration of war'), from desfier ('to challenge, renounce faith'), from Vulgar Latin *disfidare, from dis- ('away') + fidus ('faithful'). The ancestry passes through Old French desfiance, Latin fidus, and Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ-. The prefix dis- often marks separation, reversal, or negation in Latin and English formations, helping to explain the word's surface structure. In present use as a noun, it means "open resistance to authority or opposition", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include defy, defiant, and defiantly.

## Topics
- Law & Government

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defiance

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