What does disobedience mean?
Word: Disobedience
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Disobedience means refusal to obey rules, laws or a person in authority.
Synonyms: rebellion, insubordination, unruliness, naughtiness
Antonyms: obedience
How do you spell disobedience?
Syllables: dis - o - be - di - ence
Tricky part: The ending is ence, not ance, though the two sound the same in quick speech.
Watch out for: disobediance, disobeydience, dissobedience
Memory tip: Picture a hall of well-behaved pupils: disobedience ends with the same ence as audience.
Disobedience in a sentence
Example 1: Gandhi's Salt March of 1930 was a famous act of civil disobedience.
Example 2: The puppy's disobedience made the training class very long.
Example 3: Any disobedience of the safety rules in the lab will be reported.
Fun Fact
The phrase civil disobedience is linked with the American writer Henry David Thoreau, whose essay known as Civil Disobedience was read and admired by Gandhi.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word disobedience as used in the sentence:
The class was kept back for twenty minutes for its disobedience during the fire drill.
a) defiance
b) compliance
c) rudeness
d) mischief
Show answer
b) compliance. Compliance means following the rules, which the class failed to do.
Word Makeup
Only one of these words takes the prefix dis to make its opposite:
dis
a) maturity
b) justice
c) obedience
d) patience
Show answer
c) obedience. Patience and maturity take im, and justice takes in; obedience becomes disobedience.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
The players were fined for nbeeceidosid on the field after the referee's warning.
a) disturbance
b) disobedience
c) obedience
d) dependence
Show answer
b) disobedience. Obedience is three letters short, and disturbance and dependence have no o.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. curtousy 2. disobedience 3. responsability 4. punctuallity
a) polite and kind behaviour
b) refusing to do as you are told
c) a duty to deal with something
d) being on time
Show answer
b) refusing to do as you are told. A doubled l, a muddled middle and a wrong vowel spoil the other three; disobedience is correct.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which act shows disobedience?
a) finishing homework on time
b) switching off lights when leaving
c) waiting in line at the counter
d) using a phone after being told not to
Show answer
d) using a phone after being told not to
2. A child scolded for disobedience has ____.
a) won a school prize
b) not followed the rules
c) come first in a race
d) helped a younger friend
Show answer
b) not followed the rules
