defies
Refuses to obey
Defies is the third-person singular of defy—to resist, challenge, or refuse to submit.
Someone who defies authority openly disobeys it: She defies her parents at every turn.
Something that defies explanation or logic cannot be explained or understood by it: The stunt defies the laws of physics.
To defy someone to do something is to challenge them: I defy you to find a better price.
Tolerates without yielding
- opposesActs in resistance
- resistsActively withstands force
- countersSurfaces, talliers, or chips
- rejectsRefuses or discards
thwarts · combats · fights · repels · refuses · blocks · contests · rebuffs
Attacker of cherished beliefs
- maverickIndependent-minded rule-breaker
- dissenterOpponent of orthodoxy
- rebelAuthority defier
- nonconformistRejects prevailing social standards
free-thinker · individualist · outsider · radical · eccentric · heretic · renegade · trailblazer
Science of valid reasoning
- oddsLikelihood expressed numerically
- expectationsBeliefs about future outcomes
- gravityMutual mass attraction
- explanationStatement making something clear
belief · reason · understanding · comprehension · nature · physics · convention · prediction
Defying workplace authority
- noncomplianceFailure to follow requirements
- disregardWillful lack of attention
- recalcitranceStubborn refusal to obey
- unrulinessDifficult to manage behavior
mutiny · nonconformity · obstinacy · willfulness · contumacy · flouting · violation · transgression
Boldness before danger
- boldnessFearless readiness to act
- audacityBrazen, reckless daring
- daringAdventurous courage
- fearlessnessComplete lack of dread
nerve · grit · pluck · mettle · fortitude · valor · gallantry · intrepidity
Organized resistance to power
- uprisingOrganized resistance to power
- insurrectionViolent uprising against authority
- mutinyRevolt against authority
- insurgencyArmed uprising against authority
sedition · revolution · protest · dissent · subversion · coup · resistance · activism
withstands
Tolerates without yielding
rejects · thwarts · combats · fights · repels · refuses · blocks · contests · rebuffs · spurns
iconoclast
Attacker of cherished beliefs
nonconformist · free-thinker · individualist · outsider · radical · eccentric · heretic · renegade · trailblazer · freethinker
logic
Science of valid reasoning
- oddsLikelihood expressed numerically
- expectationsBeliefs about future outcomes
- gravityMutual mass attraction
explanation · belief · reason · understanding · comprehension · nature · physics · convention · prediction · probability
insubordination
Defying workplace authority
- noncomplianceFailure to follow requirements
- disregardWillful lack of attention
- recalcitranceStubborn refusal to obey
unruliness · mutiny · nonconformity · obstinacy · willfulness · contumacy · flouting · violation · transgression · refusal
bravery
Boldness before danger
fearlessness · nerve · grit · pluck · mettle · fortitude · valor · gallantry · intrepidity · tenacity
revolt
Organized resistance to power
- uprisingOrganized resistance to power
- insurrectionViolent uprising against authority
- mutinyRevolt against authority
insurgency · sedition · revolution · protest · dissent · subversion · coup · resistance · activism · boycott
defiessurrenders
Ceases resistance formally
yields · succumbs · capitulates · gives in · caves
defiesaccepts
Consents to receive
embraces · follows · conforms · goes along with · falls in line