contumacious
/ˌkɒn.tjʊˈmeɪ.ʃəs/
contumacious means contemptuous of authority; willfully disobedient; rebellious. It carries an Arena rating of 1560, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, contumacious ranks #575 of 17,125 for Most Incisive Words, #2,926 of 17,114 for Most Satisfying to Say, #3,430 of 17,118 for Most Ponderous Words, #3,455 of 17,093 for Most Storied Words.
contumacious is pronounced /ˌkɒn.tjʊˈmeɪ.ʃəs/.
Why “contumacious” is a great word
Stubbornly or willfully disobedient to authority, particularly in defiance of a court order or legal summons. Its lineage traces from Latin *contumāx, contumāc-* ("stubborn, obstinate") and the English suffix -ious. Unlike "recalcitrant," which implies a more general, kicking-against-the-pricks defiance, or "insubordinate," which denotes a breach of hierarchical protocol, contumacious is the cold, silent refusal of the summoned witness who does not appear, the debtor who hides assets with a smirk, and the sealed door of the absent defendant. It is disobedience refined into a principle, a passive aggression made monument, where the greatest rebellion is simply to stand, immovable and silent, against the machinery of the law.
Etymology
From Latin contumāx (“stubborn, obstinate”) + -ious.
adj
- Contemptuous of authority; willfully disobedient; rebellious.
- Willfully disobedient to the summons or orders of a court.
Words closest in meaning
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