obedience
noun
obe·di·ence
ō-ˈbē-dē-ən(t)s 
ə-
1
a
: an act or instance of obeying
b
: the quality or state of being obedient
taught the children obedience and respect for authority
2
: a sphere of jurisdiction
landowners within the king's obedience
especially
: an ecclesiastical or sometimes secular dominion
under the obedience of the Bishop of Rome
Examples of obedience in a Sentence
the drill sergeant demanded complete and unquestioning obedience from the recruits
the cowardly obedience with which the dictator's henchmen followed his every command
Recent Examples on the Web
Chronicles of far-right obedience and moral decadence don’t get much more scathing than this.
—
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
In dog sports like obedience or agility, handlers are in charge, but in barn hunt, the dog is the team captain, said Robin Nuttall, who started the barn hunt in 2012 to prove that her miniature pinscher, Zipper, could root out vermin as she had been bred to do.
—Ross Mantle, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice, commemorates the prophet Abraham, a figure central to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, for his willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God.
—Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 14 May 2026
Former officers described courts issuing release orders that intelligence officials ignored with impunity, prosecutors pursuing cases without evidence and security agencies using prolonged detention, torture and public accusations to impose political obedience.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for obedience
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David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
In dog sports like obedience or agility, handlers are in charge, but in barn hunt, the dog is the team captain, said Robin Nuttall, who started the barn hunt in 2012 to prove that her miniature pinscher, Zipper, could root out vermin as she had been bred to do.
—Ross Mantle, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice, commemorates the prophet Abraham, a figure central to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, for his willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God.
—Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 14 May 2026
Former officers described courts issuing release orders that intelligence officials ignored with impunity, prosecutors pursuing cases without evidence and security agencies using prolonged detention, torture and public accusations to impose political obedience.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for obedience
Cite this Entry
“Obedience.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obedience. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
obedience
noun
obe·di·ence
ō-ˈbēd-ē-ən(t)s
ə-
1
: an act or instance of obeying
2
: the quality or state of being obedient
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