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 →

2) Defiant can also mean bravely standing up to something stronger: "a defiant shout against the storm". tree →

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 →
• She gave the bully a defiant stare. tree →
• "I won't!" she said in a defiant voice. tree →
• The defiant soldiers would not surrender. tree →
• The cat looked defiant as it knocked the cup off the table. tree →
• Despite losing, the team stayed defiant to the end. tree →

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.
• "Threenager" means a defiant three-year-old acting like a moody teenager (jokey).
• "Strong personality" on a report often means bossy or defiant.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «defiant» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.