1. refusal to submit to an authority or to comply with a regulation
Usage: formal
2. the refusal of Roman Catholics in England to attend services of the Church of England
Usage: historical

Examples

• The scholar’s recusancy toward academic conventions made him unpopular with his peers.
• Her recusancy in following company policies led to disciplinary action.
• Catholic recusancy was severely punished during the Elizabethan era.
• The family’s recusancy cost them heavy fines under English law.
• His recusancy was seen as an act of religious conscience rather than rebellion.
• The government’s harsh treatment of recusancy only strengthened Catholic resolve.