deferential

adjective

def·​er·​en·​tial ˌde-fə-ˈren-chəl 

: showing or expressing respect and high regard due a superior or an elder : showing or expressing deference

listened with deferential attention to his grandfather

deferential to the judge's decision

deferentially

ˌde-fə-ˈren-chə-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• deferent
• dutiful
• regardful
• respectful

Examples of deferential in a Sentence

the man had the deferential attitude of someone who had been a servant his entire life

Recent Examples on the Web

The others, like Amazon, have been more deferential in working with the EU to avoid the kind of tension that Apple has faced, notes Axios senior tech policy reporter Ashley Gold. —Pete Gannon, Axios, 19 Sep. 2024

Throughout the encounter, that woman and the other man were deferential and apologetic to the officers. —Rich Schapiro, NBC News, 2 Aug. 2024

But courts are generally deferential to arbitration proceedings involving disputes among sophisticated businesses. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 17 Sep. 2024

The absence of deferential review bolsters the plaintiffs’ chances in House and in other antitrust cases against the NCAA. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 7 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

defer(ence) + -ential, by analogy with other Latin-derived words where the suffixes -ence and -ential imply one another (as prudence, prudential)

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

deferential

adjective

def·​er·​en·​tial ˌdef-ə-ˈren-chəl 

: showing or expressing deference

deferentially

-ˈrench-(ə-)lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

deferential

adjective

def·​er·​en·​tial ˌdef-ə-ˈren-chəl 

: deferent