dutiful

adjective du·ti·ful \ ˈdü-ti-fəl also ˈdyü- \

|Updated on: 18 Jul 2018

Examples: dutiful in a Sentence

Definition of dutiful

1 : filled with or motivated by a sense of duty

a dutiful child

2 : proceeding from or expressive of a sense of duty

a dutiful effort

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dutifully

play \-f(ə-)lē\ adverb

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dutifulness

play \-fəl-nəs\ noun

See dutiful defined for English-language learners

See dutiful defined for kids

Examples of dutiful in a Sentence

the dutiful way he took care of his sick mother
the family showed a dutiful deference to their minister when he came to dinner

Recent Examples of dutiful from the Web

For his 95-year-old mother Genevieve Semchena, who also lives in Royal Oak, the dutiful son bought not one but two portable power units.

— bill laitner, Detroit Free Press, "History of power outages riles metro Detroiters, DTE promises fixes," 28 June 2018
The effect is not that of a dutiful museum effort but an intriguing look at ballet theatrics of the past.

— robert greskovic, WSJ, "‘Harlequinade’ Review: Humor and History Take Center Stage," 6 June 2018
Accompanying Rapunzel on her journey is Eugene; Cassandra; her loyal chameleon sidekick, Pascal; no-nonsense and dutiful horse, Maximus; and the Snuggly Duckling Pub Thugs.

— kimberly nordyke, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Tangled,' Starring Mandy Moore, Renewed at Disney Channel With New Name (Exclusive)," 31 May 2018
Nine days later, when yet another mass shooting occurred—five dead in Northern California, the killer having tried to enter an elementary school—Trump accidentally sent out a version of the same dutiful tweet.

— jim nelson, GQ, "Trump Is Our Nation's Worst Commander-in-Grief," 21 May 2018
The plants needed cold frames for spring, and the soil needed to be warmed by plastic for early summer, and then came dutiful protection from a particular species of beetle, which he was known to pursue by hand.

— c.j. chivers, Popular Mechanics, "My Father's Garden: The Life My Dad Passed Down to Me," 19 June 2016
To help with the harvesting, Hortense hires a pious, dutiful 20-year-old orphan, Francine (Iris Bry).

— peter rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, "3 movies you should see in May," 30 May 2018
However, as a dutiful scientist, Rogiest warns against applying his ratio on spec.

— nick stockton, WIRED, "Math Says Urinals in Planes Could Make Lavatory Lines Shorter for Everyone," 22 May 2018
To help with the harvesting, Hortense hires a pious, dutiful 20-year-old orphan, Francine (Iris Bry), who soon proves to be as hardy as any male farmhand ever was.

— peter rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, "'The Guardians' beautifully portrays the dynamics of a family farm in WWI France," 18 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dutiful.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of dutiful

1552

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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dutiful Synonyms

DUTIFUL Defined for English Language Learners

dutiful

adjective

Definition of dutiful for English Language Learners

: doing what is expected of you

DUTIFUL Defined for Kids

dutiful

adjective du·ti·ful \ ˈdü-ti-fəl , ˈdyü- \

Definition of dutiful for Students

: doing or showing the willingness to do what is expected or required

a dutiful child

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dutifully

\-fə-lē\ adverb

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dutiful

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dutifully

dutifulness

Examples of dutiful in a Sentence

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DUTIFUL Defined for English Language Learners

dutiful

Definition of dutiful for English Language Learners

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dutiful

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dutifully

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