Stubborn perverseness; pertinacious resistance to authority. [1913 Webster]
"The bishop commanded him . . . to be thrust into the stocks for his manifest and manifold contumacy." [1913 Webster]
A willful contempt of, and disobedience to, any lawful summons, or to the rules and orders of court, as a refusal to appear in court when legally summoned.

Syn. -- Stubbornness; perverseness; obstinacy.

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

contumacy, n. stubborn refusal to obey or comply.

Etymology

L contumacia f. contumax: see CONTUMACIOUS

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ROGET THESAURUS

contumacy

Obstinacy

N obstinacy, obstinateness, obstinacy, tenacity, cussedness, perseverance, immovability, old school, inflexibility, obduracy, obduration, dogged resolution, resolution, ruling passion, blind side, self-will, contumacy, perversity, pervicacy, pervicacity, indocility, bigotry, intolerance, dogmatism, opiniatry, opiniativeness, fixed idea, fanaticism, zealotry, infatuation, monomania, opinionatedness opinionativeness, mule, opinionist, opinionatist, opiniator, opinator, stickler, dogmatist, bigot, zealot, enthusiast, fanatic, obstinate, tenacious, stubborn, obdurate, casehardened, inflexible, balky, immovable, unshakable, not to be moved, inert, unchangeable, inexorable, mulish, obstinate as a mule, pig-headed, dogged, sullen, sulky, unmoved, uninfluenced unaffected, willful, self-willed, perverse, resty, restive, restiff, pervicacious, wayward, refractory, unruly, heady, headstrong, entete, contumacious, crossgrained, arbitrary, dogmatic, positive, bigoted, prejudiced, creed- bound, prepossessed, infatuated, stiff-backed, stiff necked, stiff hearted, hard-mouthed, hidebound, unyielding, impervious, impracticable, inpersuasible, unpersuadable, intractable, untractable, incorrigible, deaf to advice, impervious to reason, crotchety, obstinately, non possumus, no surrender, ils n'ont rien appris ne rien oublie.

Disobedience

N disobedience, insubordination, contumacy, infraction, infringement, violation, noncompliance, nonobservance, revolt, rebellion, mutiny, outbreak, rising, uprising, insurrection, emeute, riot, tumult, strike, barring out, defiance, mutinousness, mutineering, sedition, treason, high treason, petty treason, misprision of treason, premunire, lese majeste, violation of law, defection, secession, insurgent, mutineer, rebel, revolter, revolutionary, rioter, traitor, quisling, carbonaro, sansculottes, red republican, bonnet rouge, communist, Fenian, frondeur, seceder, secessionist, runagate, renegade, brawler, anarchist, demagogue, Spartacus, Masaniello, Wat Tyler, Jack Cade, ringleader, disobedient, uncomplying, uncompliant, unsubmissive, unruly, ungovernable, breachy, insubordinate, impatient of control, incorrigible, restiff, restive, refractory, contumacious, recusant, recalcitrant, resisting, lawless, mutinous, seditions, insurgent, riotous, unobeyed, unbidden, seditiosissimus quisque ignavus, unthread the rude eye of rebellion.

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