Words / C1

di-FEYE-uh-ns/dɪˈfaɪəns/

Defiance is open refusal to obey a person, rule, or order: in defiance of the ban, an act of defiance. Resistance can be quieter; rebellion is larger; compliance sits opposite. Defiant (this batch) is the adjective. Wedging a fire door is not a cooling tip.

Meaning

Open refusal to obey a person, rule, or order.

Examples

• “Leaving the fire door wedged open is defiance, not “a cooling hack”.”
• “Resistance can be silent. Insubordination is workplace law. A hack is a workaround story. A fire door is a statutory exit. Remove the wedge; log the heat as a conditions note, not as permission.”

Good to know

Open refusal to obey. Adjective: defiant (this batch). Milder: resistance. A wedge in a fire door is a breach, not a tip.

Near in meaning

resistance

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