Definition of disobedience in English:

noun

• Failure or refusal to obey rules or someone in authority.

  ‘disobedience to law is sometimes justified’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Doing so would constitute the offence of wilful disobedience of an order under the Act.’
  • ‘On the other hand, the military takes a very dim view of disobedience of orders - and with very good reason.’
  • ‘The debate is not about whether or not disobedience to law is justified in a totalitarian regime.’
  • ‘Ordinary laws and policies ordinarily deserve civil obedience, not disobedience.’
  • ‘The education board said their actions constituted disobedience to orders for them to fulfill their obligations.’
  • ‘The description of the three acts of contempt as disobedience of the order dated 25th April 2003 cannot be right.’
  • ‘Most of my life I had spent trying to be as unnoticeable in my obedience and disobedience as possible.’
  • ‘The only way to establish obedience in a child is to punish each and every wilful disobedience to a command.’
  • ‘He referred to this being the second abduction by the father in blatant disregard and disobedience to an order of the Spanish court.’
  • ‘The problem here is not merely one of formal disobedience to White House objectives.’
  • ‘When these minorities pass from disobedience to rebellion, the elites lack the resources to quell revolts.’
  • ‘But why did you have no choice between religious obedience and disobedience?’
  • ‘The applicant, a prison officer, was charged with disobedience to orders.’
  • ‘You incurred this debt by your rebellion and disobedience to his will, and you will have to pay it, won't you?’
  • ‘We are told that this lends a different perspective to the themes of obedience and disobedience.’
  • ‘Our nation was founded on a heroic act of disobedience to a king who was presumed to rule by divine right.’
  • ‘Many priests refused to collaborate with the authorities, and some incited disobedience.’
  • ‘The cost of disobedience has become too high, and I'm not sure it's a viable strategy anymore.’
  • ‘History shows that when faced by mass disobedience, governments always cave.’
  • ‘I wish he gets support to launch a movement for civic disobedience.’

  Synonyms

  insubordination, unruliness, waywardness, indiscipline, bad behaviour, misbehaviour, misconduct, delinquency, disruptiveness, troublemaking, rebellion, defiance, mutiny, revolt, recalcitrance, lack of cooperation, non-compliance, wilfulness, intractability, awkwardness, perversity, perverseness, contrariness

  View synonyms