Her dislike of flattery made her regard people who tried to win her approval through praise as sycophants.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】解析：flattery“奉承(话)，阿谀奉承”。defiance “蔑视，挑战，反抗”；tyrants“专制统治者，暴君”；adulation“谄媚”；contempt“轻视，轻蔑”。结合句意可知，只有C项与画线词语意思最为相近，故选C。