Definition

Noun: 1. Stubborn rebelliousness and insubordination; resistance to authority: The act of being willfully disobedient to authority, characterized by a defiant and obstinate attitude. 2. Willful refusal to appear before a court or comply with a court order; can result in a finding of contempt of court: A specific legal term for the deliberate failure to obey a summons or order from a court of law.

Usage

Contumacy is a formal word, most commonly used in legal or official contexts to describe a severe, deliberate, and stubborn form of disobedience. It implies a contemptuous disregard for authority.

Examples

• The king viewed the barons' refusal to pay taxes not as a protest, but as an act of contumacy.
• The judge warned the witness that his contumacy in refusing to answer questions could lead to immediate imprisonment for contempt.
• Her contumacy in the face of direct orders led to her dismissal from the military academy.

Advanced Usage

• In legal proceedings: is a specific charge. A defendant found in may have a judgment entered against them by default. >

Variants and Related Words

• Contumacious (adjective): Stubbornly or willfully disobedient to authority. >
• Contumaciously (adverb): In a contumacious manner.

Synonyms

• Insubordination: Refusal to submit to authority.
• Defiance: Open resistance or bold disobedience.
• Recalcitrance: Stubborn refusal to obey rules or orders.
• Intransigence: Unwillingness to change one's views or to agree.

Antonyms

• Compliance: The action or fact of complying with a wish or command.
• Obedience: Compliance with an order, request, or law.
• Submission: The action of accepting or yielding to a superior force or authority.

Noun

1. obstinate rebelliousness and insubordination; resistance to authority
2. willful refusal to appear before a court or comply with a court order; can result in a finding of contempt of court