1
as in disobeyed
to go against the commands, prohibitions, or rules of
in those days a woman was brave if she defied fashion and wore white after Labor Day
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in confronted
to oppose (something hostile or dangerous) with firmness or courage
a rescue team willing to defy the raging storm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in resisted
to refuse to give in to
a bicyclist who regularly defies illness and infirmity in order to compete in races
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defied
Justin Northwest track prodigy Cooper Lutkenhaus defied the odds making it to the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
—
Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Sep. 2025
And growth projections defied the laws of gravity.
—Dev Patnaik, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
And when Jîna succumbed to her injuries on September 16, the Shargh reporter Niloofar Hamedi defied orders to keep quiet and told the world about her death in a tweet.
—Fatemeh Jamalpour, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
Pascoal’s music happily defied categorization.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Sep. 2025
This led to the discovery of an unexpected molecule that initially defied identification, but was eventually determined to be a simple one called silane, formed when silicon and hydrogen bond.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, Republican Representative Thomas Massie has repeatedly defied party leadership in pushing for the full release of the Epstein files.
—Martha McHardy Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
On Tuesday, the protests ballooned as people of all ages defied curfews and came out into the streets to protest the government’s bloody crackdown.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday as anti-corruption demonstrators defied an indefinite curfew and clashed with police, a day after 19 people died in violent protests triggered by a social media ban.
—Gopal Sharma, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Sep. 2025
And growth projections defied the laws of gravity.
—Dev Patnaik, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
And when Jîna succumbed to her injuries on September 16, the Shargh reporter Niloofar Hamedi defied orders to keep quiet and told the world about her death in a tweet.
—Fatemeh Jamalpour, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
Pascoal’s music happily defied categorization.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Sep. 2025
This led to the discovery of an unexpected molecule that initially defied identification, but was eventually determined to be a simple one called silane, formed when silicon and hydrogen bond.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, Republican Representative Thomas Massie has repeatedly defied party leadership in pushing for the full release of the Epstein files.
—Martha McHardy Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
On Tuesday, the protests ballooned as people of all ages defied curfews and came out into the streets to protest the government’s bloody crackdown.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday as anti-corruption demonstrators defied an indefinite curfew and clashed with police, a day after 19 people died in violent protests triggered by a social media ban.
—Gopal Sharma, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defied
Verb
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Her collectedness collapses as Johnson turns the joke into a physical act-out, becoming almost insulted that this earthquake dared to frighten her.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Wu, who worked under Menino at City Hall, has not taken the same tack and has actually alienated herself from a segment of the community that has dared to challenge her, like those opposing her White Stadium rebuilding plan.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Tensions rose when 51-year-old Alfonso Ayala confronted Wilson, sparking a heated exchange that quickly turned physical, the station reported.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Fortunately, there are straightforward ways to reduce your chances of being confronted with violent or disturbing videos.—
Annie Margaret,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Powell, for his part, resisted any interpretations of the central bank as being anything but independent.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Blair resisted at first, but eventually gave in to the belief that they were meant to be together.—
Emily Exton,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Once ignored, it is suddenly freighted with meaning.—
Anne Marie Chaker,
Time,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Democrats say the administration has ignored requests from Democrats to provide more information about the strikes or details about their legal underpinnings.—
Alexander Bolton,
The Hill,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
British officials see the visit as a way to engage a president whose foreign policy has challenged postwar norms.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry
Shane Croucher
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Over 90% of consumers report they are challenged by greater complexity, fragmentation and polarization in the world today.—
Pamela N. Danziger,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Jackson faced several setbacks this season but proved her fitness during the 100-meter dash rounds the past two days.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
This operation faced some challenges due to warmer weather and lower relative humidity.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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However, Hungary and Slovakia are the EU's top purchasers of Russian energy and have opposed efforts by Brussels to phase it out.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
-
ByteDance, TikTok's current owner, which in the past has opposed the sale, did not immediately respond to Ars' request to comment.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defied. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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