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Contumacious vs Defiance - What's the difference?

contumacious | defiance |

As an adjective contumacious

is contemptuous of authority; willfully disobedient; rebellious.

As a noun defiance is

mistrust.

contumacious

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Contemptuous of authority; willfully disobedient; rebellious.
  • * 1671 , (John Milton), “(Samson Agonistes)” in The Poetical Works of John Milton , volume 4 (edited by Henry John Todd; published in 1801), page 505:
    • The queen hears of it; takes occa?ion to pa??e wher he is, on purpo?e, that, under prætense of recon?iling to him, or ?eeking to draw a kind retractation from him of the cen?ure on the marriage; to which end ?he ?ends a courtier before, to ?ound whether he might be per?uaded to mitigate his ?entence; which not finding, ?he her?elf craftily a??ays; and, on his con?tancie, ?ounds an accu?ation to Herod of a contumacious affront, on ?uch a day, before many peers; præpares the king to ?ome pa??ion, and at la?t, by her daughter’s dancing, effects it.
  • * 1837 , (Thomas Carlyle), The French Revolution , Book 2.V:
    • In all places too are Dissident Priests; whom the Legislative will have to deal with: contumacious individuals, working on that angriest of passions; plotting, enlisting.
  • (legal) Willfully disobedient to the summons or orders of a court.

    • Synonyms

    * (contemptuous of authority) disobedient, insubordinate, obstinate, perverse, rebellious, stubborn

    Related terms

    * contumaciously * contumaciousness * contumacy * contumely

    defiance

    English

    (wikipedia defiance)

    Noun

  • The feeling, or spirit of being defiant.
  • *{{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers)
    • , chapter=6, title= A Cuckoo in the Nest , passage=But Sophia's mother was not the woman to brook defiance . After a few moments' vain remonstrance her husband complied. His manner and appearance were suggestive of a satiated sea-lion.}}