as in respectful
marked by or showing proper regard for another's higher status
the man had the deferential attitude of someone who had been a servant his entire life
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Recent Examples of deferential
Late last month, the administration presented a 28-point plan that Ukrainian and European leaders thought was too deferential to Russia’s demands.
—
Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 10 Dec. 2025
The prospect of serving His Excellency and Madam Excellency fills me with deferential joy.
—Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025
That expectation means that girls frequently struggle to balance aggressive competitiveness with norms of deferential femininity, a double standard boys don’t encounter.
—Soraya Chemaly, Time, 24 Nov. 2025
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority has been very deferential to executive authority, particularly in matters of foreign policy and national security.
—Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deferential
Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 10 Dec. 2025
The prospect of serving His Excellency and Madam Excellency fills me with deferential joy.
—Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025
That expectation means that girls frequently struggle to balance aggressive competitiveness with norms of deferential femininity, a double standard boys don’t encounter.
—Soraya Chemaly, Time, 24 Nov. 2025
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority has been very deferential to executive authority, particularly in matters of foreign policy and national security.
—Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deferential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deferential
Adjective
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This means being honest, respectful and committed to your tasks, showing resilience in difficult situations, and maintaining a positive attitude.—
Nancy Pulciano,
Rolling Stone,
26 Jan. 2026
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Parents can help by modeling respectful language and talking about how words affect others.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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And many advocates are promoting a vision of public health that’s less dependent on mandates and appeals to authority, and more deferent to individuals’ beliefs.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
4 Aug. 2025
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The Ptolemaic model depicted planets moving around Earth in a big circle, known as a deferent, then going around a smaller circle while retrograding, called an epicycle.—
Carlie Procell,
USA TODAY,
25 Nov. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Deferential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deferential. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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