Mar 01 2020 35
Contumacious is an adjective that means stubbornly disobedient.
The origin of contumacious is contumax (con TOO mocks) the Latin word for rebellious. In a legal context it can also refer to the charge ‘contempt of court.’ Our word of the day is also used in legal contexts. Its uses can be flexible, but contumacious usually sounds best in a legal or formal context.
The doctor’s patient behaved in a highly contumacious manner. This is why it was necessary to call security on him.
