as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control
the disobedient child refused to eat his vegetables
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Recent Examples of disobedient
Rising gas prices and an unpopular war in Iran have infuriated prominent MAGA figures online, but in terms of GOP elections, the president has been able to elbow out critics in Congress and disobedient legislators in red states.
—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
And as part of their initiation into the ruling class, Plums are made complicit in Gilead’s barbaric justice system, cheering for the corporal punishment of disobedient classmates and the men of low status caught salivating (or worse) over them.
—
Judy Berman,
Time,
8 Apr. 2026
As a drone whirred overhead and hooded people spray-painted the building and its fixtures, the protestors advocated for more civilly disobedient methods.
—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
Kennedy Tolson is the sly queen of side-eye as the disobedient new housemaid Nancy.
—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disobedient
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
And as part of their initiation into the ruling class, Plums are made complicit in Gilead’s barbaric justice system, cheering for the corporal punishment of disobedient classmates and the men of low status caught salivating (or worse) over them.
—
Judy Berman,
Time,
8 Apr. 2026
As a drone whirred overhead and hooded people spray-painted the building and its fixtures, the protestors advocated for more civilly disobedient methods.
—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
Kennedy Tolson is the sly queen of side-eye as the disobedient new housemaid Nancy.
—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disobedient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disobedient
Adjective
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This could bring about sudden ideas, or trigger rebellious impulses and creative imagination.
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In 2000 at age 15, he was sent to live in Australia with a host family because his father thought Zhang was too rebellious to stay in China.
Adjective
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Starmer had previously vowed to stand in any formal Labour leadership race triggered by rebel lawmakers who feating a 2029 election wipeout sought to replace him.
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Many rebel groups are offshoots of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, which had been fighting to overthrow the government since the 1960s and had been the country's largest guerrilla organization.
Adjective
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To a defiant Son, however, the party hasn’t even started.
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Terri Hupfer, draped in a Pride flag and a Giants’ issued Pride T-shirt, drove 90 minutes from her Delta home to join Tuesday’s pregame gathering, which was organized online and drew more media and police than defiant (or supportive) fans.
Cite this Entry
“Disobedient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disobedient. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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