Insubordination

act of willfully disobeying one's superior

Insubordination is when people do not obey an authority. In the military, for example, insubordination is when a serviceman or servicewoman disobeys the orders of a higher-ranking officer.

The arrest of three VOC council men in Batavia in 1741. It was a case of insubordination

In civil life, a person may refuse to obey a law or order that he or she thinks is wrong. This is called civil disobedience.