DISOBEYING Synonyms: 67 Similar and Opposite Words

disobeying

verb

present participle of disobey

as in ignoring

to go against the commands, prohibitions, or rules of students who disobey their teachers and use cell phones in class drivers who consistently disobey traffic laws

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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 disobeying The violations are disobeying orders and conduct unbecoming an officer. — Charlie D'agata, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026 Santana-Mateo was booked on charges of breach of peace, engaging police in a pursuit, disobeying the direction of officer, reckless driving, failure to obey a stop sign, failure to drive right, failure to obey a traffic control signal and driving the wrong way on a one way. — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 17 June 2026 Icarus disobeying his father Daedalus and flying too close to the sun. — Literary Hub, 26 May 2026 He was cited with disobeying a traffic control device, not having proof of insurance and obstructing a police officer. — Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 26 May 2026 Saulter was being investigated for allegedly falsifying time sheets, disobeying a direct order and failing to report part-time employment properly. — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 May 2026 Authorities last August removed Dodik from the post of the president and temporarily banned him from politics for disobeying Schmidt's decisions. — ABC News, 11 May 2026 Trump had to relent on a scheme to prosecute Fed Chair Jerome Powell for disobeying White House commands to cut interest rates. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 26 Apr. 2026 Your brother had similar pressure put on him by the national team after disobeying instructions and speaking out. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for disobeying

Verb

There is a danger in drawing comparisons between current events and the Nazi Holocaust, but there is a greater danger in ignoring the similarities.

— David Pollak, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
When a motorist receives a moving violation, there are consequences for ignoring the summons.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of ignoring

Verb

The Seoul Central District Court convicted Han, widow of church founder Sun Myung Moon, of violating the political funds act, bribery and embezzling church funds, the court said in a statement.

— ABC News, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026
The bill also increases the maximum penalties for violating local fireworks ordinances to $1,000 for a first offense, $2,000 for a second offense and $5,000 for each additional offense within five years of the first.

— Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of violating

Verb

The canal system that carries it from western Arizona is a gravity-defying product of 1960s optimism and more than $4 billion in building costs.

— Alex Hager, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026
Bill Belichick and North Carolina opened their 2026 season with an upset of TCU, defying a 9 1/2-point spread and a preseason of low expectations to win 15-10 on Saturday in Ireland.

— Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of defying

Verb

Former Ferrari president and chairman Luca di Montezemolo joined analysts and investors in mocking the model as ugly and decidedly un-Ferrari-like at a time where other luxury automakers were scaling back their own EV efforts amid low demand.

— Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
Thousands of comments flooded the post mocking the department for spending its time on such a trivial matter.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of mocking

Verb

During the arrest, Guerrero-Chavez began resisting, even slipping out of her handcuffs and attempting to run back to her vehicle, Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said.

— Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 27 Aug. 2026
Wiener has long championed making housing easier to build, but in San Francisco resisting development is a bedrock cause for those on the city’s left.

— Dan Walters, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of resisting

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disobeyed

disobeying

disobeys

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“Disobeying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disobeying. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of disobeying

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