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- pronunciation:
- dih
faI
- features:
- Word Parts
| part of speech: |
transitive verb |
| inflections: |
defies, defying, defied |
| definition 1: |
to resist or challenge openly; act against the wishes or decrees of.
She defied her parents by dropping out of college.- synonyms:
- disobey, flout, resist
- antonyms:
- follow, obey, submit, yield
- similar words:
- break, challenge, confront, disdain, fly in the face of, mock, oppose, protest
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| definition 2: |
to withstand attempts at.
This puzzle defies solution.- similar words:
- resist, survive, withstand
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| definition 3: |
to challenge or dare (someone) to do something very difficult or impossible.
He defied them to disprove his testimony.- synonyms:
- challenge
- similar words:
- dare, egg on, incite, provoke, spur
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| related words: |
fight, flout, rebel |
The word defy
contains the following part:
de-
Latin
prefix
that means from; away from; down from; reverse, negate.
  Example words:
biodegradable, debate, decay, deceive, deception, decide, decision, decline, decode, deduct, defer, deform, defy, degrade, dehydrate, delete, demerit, depend, deport, deprive, descend, describe, description, desegregate, design, designate, despise, detach, detect, detract, independence
- synonyms:
- dis-, un-
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