as in rebellion
refusal to obey
they gave up on training the dog to fetch because of his constant disobedience
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of disobedience
Fernando Melo Flores, a 40-year-old Irvine resident, was charged with one felony count of possession of child pornography, one felony count of unauthorized computer access, and one misdemeanor count of willful disobedience of a court order.
—
Ryanne Mena, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2026
Others mistakenly describe these acts as flakiness, disobedience, laziness, or personal failure in the absence of context.
—Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2026
His smile, coyly upturned at the corners, gives the impression of a patriarch who would resort to violence at the first sign of disobedience.
—Alex Shams, Time, 14 Mar. 2026
More to the point, the government's understaffing and high caseload is a problem of its own making and absolutely does not justify flagrant disobedience of court orders.
—Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for disobedience
Ryanne Mena, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2026
Others mistakenly describe these acts as flakiness, disobedience, laziness, or personal failure in the absence of context.
—Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2026
His smile, coyly upturned at the corners, gives the impression of a patriarch who would resort to violence at the first sign of disobedience.
—Alex Shams, Time, 14 Mar. 2026
More to the point, the government's understaffing and high caseload is a problem of its own making and absolutely does not justify flagrant disobedience of court orders.
—Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for disobedience
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disobedience
Noun
-
The property tax rebellion is part of a broader push on both the right and left to give tax exemptions to seniors, workers who rely on tips, and the bottom 50% of the country to address cost-of-living pressures.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
18 June 2026
-
House Democrats are betting that a future Speaker Hakeem Jeffries wouldn’t struggle with the type of aisle-crossing rebellion that’s often vexed current Speaker Mike Johnson.—
Nicholas Wu,
semafor.com,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Cape Verde’s defiance, and the heroics of 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha in particular, will be remembered for some time in Spain.—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
France has previously intercepted several vessels linked to Russia’s shadow fleet, which carries Russian oil in defiance of international sanctions.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
Those leaders who ignore or flout the law aren’t merely unethical but fatally arrogant, putting their childish willfulness over the wisdom of generations.—
David Brooks,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Though the Durutti Column had been a disaster, Wilson was fascinated by the guitarist, who admired punk’s willfulness even though his own musical taste tended toward jazz, blues, and the classical tradition.—
Brad Shoup,
Pitchfork,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Marji’s rebelliousness, both admirable and terrifying for those who love her, is her salient characteristic.—
Hillary Chute,
The Atlantic,
9 June 2026
-
The pseudo-goth hair and costume choices speak to an inner rebelliousness that isn’t so much unleashed as forced loose by a system that values the appearance of a mythical impartiality over her humanity, leaving her with little recourse but to step outside the confines of the law.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disobedience.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disobedience. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
