as in respectful
marked by or showing proper regard for another's higher status
the family showed a dutiful deference to their minister when he came to dinner
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Recent Examples of dutiful
As dutiful beauty editors, our eyes couldn’t help but instantly wander to her manicure, a lilac-milk look created by celebrity nail artist Jenny Longworth, who, aside from working with Rihanna, is also responsible for some of Harry Styles’s nail looks.
—
Catharine Malzahn, Glamour, 1 July 2025
With such a broad yet shallow scope, Washington Black occasionally takes on the dutiful feel of an educational video.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2025
Anne needed to grow beyond being a dutiful, persuadable young woman.
—Brandon Taylor, Time, 17 July 2025
No! Indiscriminate mass deportation of our law abiding, industrious, dutiful neighbors only recently arrived?
—Timothy Cardinal Dolan, New York Daily News, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for dutiful
Catharine Malzahn, Glamour, 1 July 2025
With such a broad yet shallow scope, Washington Black occasionally takes on the dutiful feel of an educational video.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2025
Anne needed to grow beyond being a dutiful, persuadable young woman.
—Brandon Taylor, Time, 17 July 2025
No! Indiscriminate mass deportation of our law abiding, industrious, dutiful neighbors only recently arrived?
—Timothy Cardinal Dolan, New York Daily News, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for dutiful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dutiful
Adjective
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The young man's friends have spoken out in support of him, with his soccer teammates describing a reliable, respectful, and kind person.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
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Instead, your space should feel intentional and respectful of your guests, Mitchell says.—
Shivani Vyas,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 Aug. 2025
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
“Dutiful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dutiful. Accessed 24 Aug. 2025.
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