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# defiant

«defiant» in Mova's school dictionary: **openly refusing to obey or to do what you are told: "a…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 3 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective (defiant, more defiant, most defiant)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Defiant means openly refusing to obey or to do what you are told: "a defiant child folded his arms". [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defiant/#m1)

2) Defiant can also mean bravely standing up to something stronger: "a defiant shout against the storm". [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defiant/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In stories, a defiant look, tone or shout shows a character refusing to give in; it can be naughty or brave depending on who they stand up to. In school, defiant behaviour means refusing teachers' instructions. Phrases: defiant look, defiant mood, defiant to the end.

### examples

- The defiant boy refused to tidy his room. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defiant/#x1)
- She gave the bully a defiant stare. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defiant/#x2)
- "I won't!" she said in a defiant voice. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defiant/#x3)
- The defiant soldiers would not surrender. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defiant/#x4)
- The cat looked defiant as it knocked the cup off the table. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defiant/#x5)
- Despite losing, the team stayed defiant to the end. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defiant/#x6)

### note

Pronounced "di-FY-ant". Verb: defy; noun: defiance; adverb: defiantly. Spelling: ends in -ant. Being defiant to a bully can be brave; being defiant to safety rules is dangerous.

### In the corpora

- ["Strong-willed" means defiant, refusing to obey.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/14-family-and-behaviour/12/)
- ["Threenager" means a defiant three-year-old acting like a moody teenager (jokey).](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/14-family-and-behaviour/19/)
- ["Strong personality" on a report often means bossy or defiant.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/15-behaviour-and-school-reports/21/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «defiant» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defiant/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.