Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

disobey

/ˌdɪs.əˈbeɪ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.83 in modern English

Syllables: dis-obey
IPA: /ˌdɪs.əˈbeɪ/

13

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To refuse or (intentionally) fail to adhere to (a rule) or to obey an order from (somebody).

Transitive verb

verb

To refuse or (intentionally) fail to obey.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"disobey the rules"
"disobey your parents"
"Under an authoritarian regime, people have an obligation to disobey."
"The powerful Bene Gesserit sisterhood for ninety generations has been manipulating bloodlines to produce the Kwisatz Haderach, a superbeing. On Caladan, Jessica, a member of the sisterhood and the bound concubine of Duke Leto Atreides, had been ordered to bear only daughters. Because of her love for the duke, she disobeyed and gave birth to a son: Paul, Paul Atreides."

Etymology

From Old French desobeir.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌdɪs.əˈbeɪ/
British English: /ˌdɪs.əˈbeɪ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

disobeys (present, singular) disobeying (participle, present) disobeyed (participle, past) disobeyed (past)

Derived Forms

disobeyal disobeyance disobeyer undisobeyed

Frequently Paired Words

disobedient disobedience break contravene defy flout infringe jib

Synonyms

balk decline disregard disobey ignore refuse unmind

Antonyms

obey accede assent acquiesce comply conform submit yield

Rhymes With

they way may day say one-way away play today pay stay re

Questions

How do you pronounce disobey?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌdɪs.əˈbeɪ/.
What does disobey mean?: To refuse or (intentionally) fail to adhere to (a rule) or to obey an order from (somebody).
Where does disobey come from?: From Old French desobeir.

How to pronounce disobey

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “disobey”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌdɪs.əˈbeɪ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “disobey”.
Repeat and practice — Say “disobey” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.