Defy — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

resist or confront with resistance

elude, especially in a baffling way

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/dɪskwˈɑːlɪfˌaɪəbəl/

🇬🇧British English

/dɪfˈaɪ/

🇮🇳Indian English

/dɪfˈaɪ/

2 syllables Say it as /dɪskwˈɑːlɪfˌaɪəbəl/.

Examples

The politician defied public opinion
The new material withstands even the greatest wear and tear
The bridge held

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

resist refuse hold up withstand dare hold

Antonyms

lend oneself

Parts of Speech

verb	resist or confront with resistance “The politician defied public opinion”
verb	elude, especially in a baffling way “This behavior defies explanation”
verb	challenge “I dare you!”

Word Forms

defiant	adjective	boldly resisting authority or an opposing force
withstander	noun	an opponent who resists with force or resolution
defiance	noun	a hostile challenge
dare	noun	a challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy
daring	noun	a challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

trotzen

Widerstand leisten oder mit Widerstand konfrontiert werden

🇫🇷French

défier

résister ou affronter la résistance

🇪🇸Spanish

desafiar

resistir o enfrentar resistencia

🇮🇹Italian

sfidare

resistere o confrontarsi con la resistenza

🇳🇱Dutch

trotseren

weerstaan of geconfronteerd worden met weerstand

🇵🇹Portuguese

desafiar

resistir ou confrontar com resistência

🇷🇺Russian

бросать вызов

сопротивляться или противостоять сопротивлению

India

🇮🇳Hindi

अवहेलना

विरोध करना या प्रतिरोध का सामना करना

🇧🇩Bengali

অস্বীকার করা

প্রতিরোধ করা বা প্রতিরোধের সাথে মোকাবিলা করা

🇮🇳Tamil

மீறு

எதிர்ப்பை எதிர்க்கவும் அல்லது எதிர்க்கவும்

🇮🇳Telugu

ధిక్కరించు

ప్రతిఘటనతో ప్రతిఘటించండి లేదా ఎదుర్కోండి

🇮🇳Marathi

अवमान करणे

प्रतिकार करा किंवा प्रतिकाराचा सामना करा

🇮🇳Gujarati

અવજ્ઞા

પ્રતિકાર કરો અથવા પ્રતિકાર સાથે સામનો કરો

🇮🇳Kannada

ಧಿಕ್ಕರಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ

ಪ್ರತಿರೋಧವನ್ನು ವಿರೋಧಿಸಿ ಅಥವಾ ಎದುರಿಸಿ

🇮🇳Malayalam

ധിക്കരിക്കുക

ചെറുത്തുനിൽക്കുക അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ചെറുത്തുനിൽപ്പിനെ നേരിടുക

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਦਾ ਵਿਰੋਧ

ਵਿਰੋਧ ਕਰੋ ਜਾਂ ਵਿਰੋਧ ਦਾ ਸਾਹਮਣਾ ਕਰੋ

🇵🇰Urdu

انکار

مزاحمت کریں یا مزاحمت کا مقابلہ کریں۔

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

违抗

抵抗或面对阻力

🇯🇵Japanese

反抗する

抵抗する、または抵抗と対峙する

🇰🇷Korean

도전하다

저항하거나 저항에 맞서다

🇻🇳Vietnamese

thách thức

chống lại hoặc đối đầu với sự phản kháng

🇹🇭Thai

ท้า

ต่อต้านหรือเผชิญหน้ากับการต่อต้าน

🇮🇩Indonesian

menentang

menolak atau menghadapi perlawanan

🇵🇭Filipino

suwayin

lumaban o humarap sa paglaban

🇲🇾Malay

menentang

menentang atau menghadapi tentangan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

تحدي

يقاوم أو يواجه المقاومة

🇮🇷Persian

سرپیچی کردن

مقاومت کنید یا با مقاومت مقابله کنید

🇹🇷Turkish

meydan okumak

Direnmek veya direnişle yüzleşmek

🇮🇱Hebrew

לְהַתְרִיס

להתנגד או להתעמת עם התנגדות

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'defy'?

The primary meaning of 'defy' is 'resist or confront with resistance'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'defy' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'defy' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'defy' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'defy' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'defy' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'defy' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'defy' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'defy' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'defy' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'defy' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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