contumacious

[ kon-too-mey-shuhs, -tyoo- ]

adjective

1. stubbornly perverse or rebellious; willfully and obstinately disobedient.

   Synonyms: intractable, headstrong, refractory, factious, pigheaded, contrary

contumacious

/ ˌkɒntjʊˈmeɪʃəs /

adjective

1. stubbornly resistant to authority; wilfully obstinate

Derived Forms

• ˌcontuˈmaciously, adverb
• ˌcontuˈmaciousness, noun

Other Words From

• contu·macious·ly adverb
• contu·macious·ness con·tu·mac·i·ty [kon-t, oo, -, mas, -i-tee, -ty, oo, -], noun
• noncon·tu·macious adjective
• noncon·tu·macious·ly adverb
• noncon·tu·macious·ness noun
• uncon·tu·macious adjective
• uncon·tu·macious·ly adverb
• uncon·tu·macious·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of contumacious¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; contumacy + -ous

Example Sentences

He urged Merchan to warn Trump “that his recent conduct is contumacious and direct him to immediately desist.”

From Seattle Times

Former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann, who served on special counsel Bob Mueller's team, said it was "interesting" that Chutkan excused Trump's presence at the hearing "given his dangerous and contumacious social media posts."

From Salon

“Mr. Donziger’s conduct was a pattern of contumacious behavior that bore out over the better part of a decade,” Preska said.

From Seattle Times

“Defendants began this litigation with the same opportunities for discovery and presentation of evidence as any other litigant, but they have squandered these opportunities with poor strategic decisions and contumacious, combative conduct.”

From Washington Times

Admittedly, the two chambers of Congress have rarely made use of their power to directly arrest and detain contumacious witnesses.

From Washington Post