disobedience

/ˌˈdɪsəˌbidiəns/

/dɪsəʊˈbidiɪns/

Other forms: disobediences

Disobedience means not following rules or instructions given to you by an authority figure. The disobedience of the kids at summer camp might drive their counselor batty.

Ordinary disobedience includes things like your dog chasing your cat even after you tell her not to, or a party guest refusing to hand over a gift to the birthday boy despite being instructed to do it. Civil disobedience is a special type of defiance: it's refusing to follow the laws or demands of a governing power that you disagree with. During the Civil Rights Movement, protesters used civil disobedience (including sit-ins and boycotts) to protest segregation.

Definitions of disobedience

1. noun

   the failure to obey
   synonyms: noncompliance

   antonyms:

   obedience

   the act of obeying; dutiful or submissive behavior with respect to another person

   types:

   contempt

   a willful disobedience to or disrespect for the authority of a court or legislative body

   contumacy

   willful refusal to appear before a court or comply with a court order; can result in a finding of contempt of court

   contempt of Congress

   deliberate obstruction of the operation of the federal legislative branch

   contempt of court

   disrespect for the rules of a court of law

   type of:

   insubordination, rebelliousness

   an insubordinate act
2. noun

   the trait of being unwilling to obey
   antonyms:

   obedience

   the trait of being willing to obey

   types:

   badness, mischievousness, naughtiness

   an attribute of mischievous children

   prankishness, rascality, roguishness

   the trait of indulging in disreputable pranks

   type of:

   intractability, intractableness

   the trait of being hard to influence or control