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

Children should learn 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

Synonyms

• compliance
• conformity
• submission
• subordination

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

The women held captive by them are made helpless by deep primal bonds of fear and obedience. —Roxana Robinson, TIME, 18 July 2024

Thuggish and poor, the Soviet Union didn’t have much to offer in exchange for obedience. —Eduardo Porter, Washington Post, 20 June 2024

The first phase involves basic obedience skills and detecting various explosives, compounds and mixtures. —Ryan Lucas, NPR, 26 June 2024

However, ideas upholding the importance of respect and obedience to traditional authority are still deeply entrenched in Tonga. —Rob Crossan, JSTOR Daily, 21 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin oboedientia "act of obeying" (Medieval Latin also, "sphere of jurisdiction"), noun derivative of oboedient-, oboedient obedient

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing obedience

• in obedience

Kids 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