defiant

See also: défiant

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French défiant, from the verb défier. Doublet of diffident.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɪˈfaɪ(j)ənt/
• IPA^(key): /dɪˈfaɪənt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪənt

Adjective

defiant (comparative more defiant, superlative most defiant)

1. Defying.
   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 15, in The China Governess‎^[1]:

     She paused and took a defiant breath. ‘If you don't believe me, I can't help it. But I'm not a liar.’ ¶ ‘No,’ said Luke, grinning at her. ‘You're not dull enough! […] What about the kid's clothes? I don't suppose they were anything to write home about, but didn't you keep anything? A bootee or a bit of embroidery or anything at all?’

2. Boldly resisting opposition.
   • 2013 June 18, Simon Romero, "Protests Widen as Brazilians Chide Leaders," New York Times (retrieved 21 June 2013):

     But the demonstrators remained defiant, pouring into the streets by the thousands and venting their anger over political corruption, the high cost of living and huge public spending for the World Cup and the Olympics.

Synonyms

• dareful
• rebellious

Antonyms

• docile, obedient, submissive
• dominant

Translations

defying

• Bulgarian: непокорен (bg) (nepokoren), неподчиняващ се (nepodčinjavašt se)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Danish: trodsig
• Finnish: uhmakas, uhitteleva (fi)
• German: keck (de), frech (de), trotzig (de)
• Hungarian: dacos (hu), kihívó (hu), pimasz (hu)
• Japanese: 反抗的な (ja) (hankōteki na)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: contumax
• Maori: whakatumatuma
• Portuguese: desafiador (pt) m
• Russian: непоко́рный (ru) (nepokórnyj), де́рзкий (ru) (dérzkij)
• Spanish: desafiante (es) n
• Swedish: trotsig (sv)
• Turkish: küstah (tr), serkeş (tr)

boldly resisting opposition

• Bulgarian: предизвикателен (bg) (predizvikatelen)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: uhmakas
• German: trotzig (de)
• Hungarian: ellenszegülő (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 開き直った (hirakinaotta)
• Portuguese: oposição (pt) f corajosa
• Russian: непоко́рный (ru) (nepokórnyj), неповину́ющийся (nepovinújuščijsja), вызыва́ющий (ru) (vyzyvájuščij) (of the attitude)
• Spanish: fresco (es), contestatario (es)
• Swedish: utmanande (sv)

Further reading

• “defiant”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “defiant”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• fainted

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Latin

Verb

(deprecated template usage) dēfīant

1. third-person plural present active subjunctive of dēfīō