defiantly

adverb

de·​fi·​ant·​ly di-ˈfī-ənt-lē How to pronounce defiantly (audio)
dē-
: in a defiant manner : in a way that is full of or shows a disposition to challenge, resist, or fight
She spoke out defiantly against the proposed law.
As his empire crumbled amid the … scandal, he defiantly refused a graceful exit.Jonathan Alter
Though restrained, the women do not lack independence, and they wag their tongues as defiantly as ever.Jason Farago

Examples of defiantly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In France, when anti-Semitic thugs tried to intimidate her and some Israeli friends on the Paris subway, Miranda defiantly spoke Hebrew extra loudly. David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2024 The dining room is defiantly unpolished; there were Christmas decorations still strung above the bar in February. Hannah Goldfield, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024 Some of them are pieces that are defiantly claiming the space. Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2024 Playing Favorites proves that joy can show up defiantly, wearing a sleeveless denim vest, and sometimes, a rollicking good time is the glue holding our hearts together. Linnie Greene, SPIN, 6 Mar. 2024 Television In Julio Torres’ defiantly unique comedy, everyone — and everything — has a story Aug. 9, 2019 The HBO special, ironically, contained a gag about Swinton. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024 Instead, Zelensky stayed — defiantly posting a video of himself and other members of his government in the streets of Kyiv on Feb. 25. Annabelle Timsit, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024 But Cronenberg is too defiantly weird to be convinced that Tom’s devolution is an entirely negative development. Becca Rothfeld, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024 The two cases are very different, legal experts have said, with Biden voluntarily working with prosecutors while Trump defiantly refused to do so. Josh Meyer, USA TODAY, 8 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'defiantly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of defiantly was in 1847

Dictionary Entries Near defiantly

Cite this Entry

“Defiantly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defiantly. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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