defies

VERB

challenge, frustrate

Synonyms

STRONGEST

confront disregard elude flout ignore mock oppose provoke resist ridicule spurn thwart violate withstand

STRONG

baffle beard brave contemn dare defeat deride despise face foil front gibe insult repel repulse scorn slight stick venture

WEAK

fly in face of hang tough hurl defiance at make my day outdare stick fast take one on

Antonyms

STRONGEST

aid assist flatter help note pay attention praise regard respect

STRONG

abet admire attract commend compliment encourage give up hide like love

WEAK

give in obey surrender yield

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

defies

Zoe Kazan’s Cathy, which closely hews to Steinbeck’s original vision, defies easy assumptions about a woman’s wants and needs.

From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026

“The stellar performance defies concerns that competition with Anthropic and OpenAI is intensifying for enterprise AI workflows,” DiPalma said of Palantir’s earnings beat.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

In his - which has been seen by BBC Sport - Lamour said "what has been announced in recent days and what has been happening behind the scenes in recent months defies belief and imagination".

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

So singular that it all but defies any kind of tea-leaf-reading or, heaven forbid, attempts at replication.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

Otto said, “He looks just like you. You not knowing each other defies all deductions.”

From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles

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