Lesson One
No, folks. It's not the same thing. But don't be alarmed: this is a very common mistake. I once had to catch myself one time to make sure I didn't mix the words up myself.
But Defiantly and Definitely are two completely different words.
Defiantly means stubbornly, persistently, tenaciously. Think about wearing a white dress or a white shirt to a party (or something fashionable, whatever! Just go with me on this), and everyone is so impressed by your impeccable taste, you get positive compliments from everyone you pass. Then, as you smirk at what is possibly your 2,903rd comment of the night, the class clown -- who is, for some strange reason, wearing fuzzy pink underwear and Nordic horns on his head -- runs into you and spills his punch all over your immaculate white shirt or dress or whatever. Rather than seeking revenge right away (because if this stain dries, your $139 outfit is S.O.L.), you rush to the nearest bathroom, yank off your soaked white dress or shirt (or whatever!), grab the soap, turn the water on full blast, and begin to defiantly scrub the stain out before your $139 dress or shirt (what...ev...er!) goes to waste. And as you stubbornly try to scrub that cursed fruit punch out, you deviously plan to string the gender-confused clown up by his toes in your secret dungeon and pelt him with rocks until...well, until you've thrown $139 worth of rocks at him in proxy for your ruined clothing (see? That could mean a dress or shirt or whatever!).
Ex.: "Not another peep out of you." Mr. Martin warned his son.
"Whatever." Ted defiantly replied.
"I will not tolerate your back talk, young man. You will respect me!" The boy's father cautioned as he shook his finger. Ted stubbornly rolled his eyes and stomped away.
Definitely, on the other hand, means absolutely, unquestionably, for sure. The easiest way I can explain it is if you are absolutely sure you are going to do something, that nothing can stop you come hell or high water. Take the average Star Trek fan (no offense to any of you out there, dudes). If it was suddenly announced that the original members of Star Trek were planning to tour fifty major cities in the fifty states of the Oo-nited States o' America in a new theatre production ... and have a convention that auctioned off genuine authentic parts of the set as well .... Not even the floods of Noah, Hurricane Andrew, every volcano simultaneously erupting, the sun exploding or Paris Hilton becoming a nun would stop them from flocking to the event. They are dedicated to doing that action, dedicated to slog through water or boiling magma or STDs to see the Shat[ner] in person. That's what most definitely means.
Ex.: I am definitely going to read the seventh Harry Potter book. If anyone tries to stop me, the population of 300 million will go back to 299, 999,999 million. You've been warned.
Ex. 2: Blondes know they definitely have an advantage over brunettes. Or at least they think so. ^^ (Sorry, I couldn't resist the blonde joke.)
So defiantly and definitely. Two very different words, one very common mistake.
