contumacious
1
9.9
- adjective
- /ˌkɒn.tjuˈmeɪ.ʃəs/
- Formal
:
contumaz
- During the meeting, her contumacious attitude towards the manager's instructions frustrated the entire team.
Examples
-
Contumacious demands for restraint, ceasefire, and surrender must be rejected.
Blog text (32) -
The judge ruled that the defendant's contumacious behavior during the trial would not be tolerated.
-
The contumacious student refused to follow the school's rules, insisting on doing things his own way.
Synonyms
63
5.6
Refusing to follow rules or orders in a bold, open way
43
4.5
Not willing to follow rules or authority
16
7.5
Refusing to change your opinion or behavior even when others try to persuade you
12
8.1
Refusing to follow orders or respect someone in charge
11
8.1
Not willing to follow rules or accept control
11
4.0
Refuses to obey rules or people in charge
Likely to oppose rules or orders
Refuses to cooperate to cause trouble
Being arrogantly rude and openly disrespectful to other people
Antonyms
How Defiant
4
8.6
- Formal
1
9.9
- Formal
11
8.1
63
5.6
12
8.1
11
4.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
contumacious = contumacy (opaque) = contumac + ious
Although derivationally related to the noun 'contumacy', the Latinate stem and rare vocabulary make the relation hard to guess for average learners.
Etymology
Contumacious comes from the Latin word contumacia, which means 'stubborn refusal to obey'. A helpful way to remember it is to think of the legal word contumacy, which also means 'refusal to follow orders', so contumacious describes someone who on purpose disobeys authority, especially a court.