disobedience
n.the act of refusing to do what you are told by someone in power. It means breaking a rule or law on purpose.
n.the failure or refusal to obey rules, laws, or someone in authority. Often used in political or social contexts to describe non-violent protest.
“The student faced punishment for his disobedience in class.”
“Civil disobedience remains a powerful tool for activists seeking to change unjust laws through peaceful resistance.”
“The general warned that any further acts of disobedience among the ranks would be met with immediate court-martial to maintain military discipline.”
Often paired with the adjective 'civil' or the preposition 'to' ('disobedience to the law').
From Middle English disobedience, dysobediaunce, from Old French desobedience. By surface analysis, dis- + obedience. Displaced native Old English unhīersumnes.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.