DEFIER Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

defier

noun

Definition of defier

as in resister

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of defier Evan Turk’s provocative and emotive illustrations, portraits within this portrait, bring swirling movement and feeling to the story of this defier and definer of the times. — BostonGlobe.com, 22 Apr. 2021 Everybody enjoys being thought of as a scofflaw, or a hell-raiser, or defier of authority, especially if such activity happened in the past. — Karen Martin, Arkansas Online, 29 Nov. 2020 Critics see a reckless defier of laws and norms who must be held to account. — Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 17 Nov. 2019 Belichick is the league’s most prominent convention-defier; Schwartz is a veteran myth-buster. — Michael Rosenberg, SI.com, 2 Feb. 2018 Roy Moore, defier of Supreme Courts, thumper of Bibles, hater of gays and everyone else who is not exactly like Roy Moore, is the Republican nominee for Senate in Alabama. — Sarah Jones, New Republic, 27 Sep. 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defier

Noun

In November 1971, Berkeley, California, became the first sanctuary city in the country when 12 local churches inspired the City Council to pass a resolution offering sanctuary to draft resisters.

— Menika Dirkson, The Conversation, 8 Apr. 2026
Clemson resister Dabo Swinney has driven his program into the ground.

— Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026

Definition of resister

Noun

Adding to the uncertainty, Israel's election appeared headed for a political stalemate, with neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his main challenger, Gadi Eisenkot, securing a clear path to a governing majority.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 28 Oct. 2026
Netanyahu’s main challenger, former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, opposes Palestinian statehood and has pledged to destroy Hamas’ military wing.

— Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of challenger

Noun

The war next door United Nations experts have documented Rwandan military support for M23 rebels, which have seized territory in eastern DRC.

— Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026
But the rebels also have an array of relatively cheap drones, including weapons supplied by Iran, and locally made copies of Iranian attack drones.

— Frank Andrews, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of rebel

Noun

Analysts say the clashes at the Base 101 at the Niamey international airport could have gone either way because of the mutineers’ determination and large numbers until the Russian troops stepped in.

— Chinedu Asadu, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
The fate of the mutineers was not immediately clear and authorities did not disclose any charges against them.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of mutineer

Noun

Khalilzad on Friday wrote on X that there had been reports of Pakistan arming Afghans to fight the Taliban inside Afghanistan and of the Pakistani military recruiting Afghans to fight anti-Pakistan insurgents.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
President Emmanuel Macron has been the primary target of scorn following nationwide riots that overtook Paris and other cities, but the insurgent National Rally does not want to let mainstream conservatives off the hook.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of insurgent

Noun

Yesterday, in an effort to galvanize democratic forces, oppositionists announced the foundation of the Strategic Council of Republicans Inside Iran.

— Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2026
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is a Sunni Islamist umbrella group of oppositionist forces with ideological and organizational roots in al-Qaeda.

— Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024

Definition of oppositionist

Noun

As the head of China’s Nationalist government, Chiang and his party were trying to establish control in a nation divided among revolutionists, nationalists, Indigenous warlords, and a developing communist army and government.

— Susan Tate Ankeny, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Apr. 2024
Many revolutionists see heavy tank casualties in Ukraine as the key indicator for the tank’s looming obsolescence in the face of newly lethal precision antitank weapons.

— Stephen Biddle, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2023

Definition of revolutionist

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“Defier.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defier. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of defier

noun

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