defiant
/dɪˈfaɪənt/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.21 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
adj
noun
One who defies opposition.
Example Sentences
- "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?’"
- "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."
- "Gunshots rang out in the capital Abuja and also in the neighboring Niger state as police lobbed tear gas to disperse defiant protesters. In Niger, at least six people are now feared dead, local media reported."
- "Countries condemning South Africa, Portugal and Rhodesia still find it necessary to trade with these defiants against so-called world opinion."
- "Damn the obedients and hail the defiants if you will; the experiment does not motivate confidence about how particular subjects would behave in markedly dissimilar situations."
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /dɪˈfaɪənt/
- British English: /dɪˈfaɪ(j)ənt/