Word Confusion: Defiant versus Definite

Revised as of 8 September 2018

I’ve been kind of surprised how easily confused this pair of words seems to get.
And it is dang confusing when I’m reading along and “she was defiant about the time she last saw him” or “The soldier was definite to the end”.

I suppose it’s good for a soldier to be definite about what he’s doing, but I’d so prefer him to be defiant…

Word Confusions…

…started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noir for you from either end.

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Defiant	Definite
Credit to: Apple Dictionary.com
Defiant Snowman by Chris Downer is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — It’s been six or seven days since the snow fell, but this snowman is quite defiant in St. Michaels Close in North Waltham.	Can’t get much more definite than that.
Part of Grammar:
Adjective	Adjective
Showing open resistance or bold disobedience	Clearly stated or decided Not vague or doubtful Clearly true or real Unambiguous [Predic.; of a person] Certain or sure about something Clear or undeniable (used for emphasis) Having exact and discernible physical limits or form
Examples:
She was in a defiant mood. Toddlers can be quite defiant. He was defiant about accepting any government money. You could tell she was defiant about the situation.	He was a definite asset to the force. I’m definite that Paul said he’d be here at two. The is a definite article. We had no definite plans. No definite proof has emerged. You’re very definite about that! Video is a definite asset in the classroom.
Derivatives:
Adverb: defiantly	Adverb: definitely Noun: definiteness
History of the Word:
Late 16th century from the French défiant or directly from defiance.	Mid-16th century from the Latin definitus meaning defined or set within limits and a past participle of definire.

C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan…which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them…and we’ll all benefit!

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Pinterest Photo Credits

This cropped image of “Nicole”, a French Partisan Who Captured 25 Nazis in the Chartres Area, in Addition to Liquidating Others, Poses with the Automatic Rifle with Which She is Most Proficient, 23 August 1994, is by an unknown person (or it was not provided) from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (5957431).. M10 Tank Destroyer, Italy, 1945, was given a 53% transparency and is a work of a U.S. Army soldier or employee, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. Both are in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.