as in obedience
a readiness or willingness to yield to the wishes of others
the sycophantic deference with which the hotel treats celebrity guests
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deference
Mamdani tends to focus on Israel’s violations of international law, which are the basis of his pledge to arrest Netanyahu, in deference to a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, if Netanyahu comes to New York.
—
Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
On April 5, 2024, the civil suit was stayed in deference of a federal criminal investigation into the human trafficking allegations Plaintiffs made.
—Naveed Jamali, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
In those cases, a majority of the Supreme Court showed deference to Trump's firing power, at least on an interim basis, while the litigation plays out.
—Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2025
For human rights advocates, Johnson’s reluctance to forcefully criticize Bukele at the time was a sign of his undue deference to the Salvadoran leader.
—T. Christian Miller, ProPublica, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deference
Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
On April 5, 2024, the civil suit was stayed in deference of a federal criminal investigation into the human trafficking allegations Plaintiffs made.
—Naveed Jamali, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
In those cases, a majority of the Supreme Court showed deference to Trump's firing power, at least on an interim basis, while the litigation plays out.
—Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2025
For human rights advocates, Johnson’s reluctance to forcefully criticize Bukele at the time was a sign of his undue deference to the Salvadoran leader.
—T. Christian Miller, ProPublica, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deference
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deference
Noun
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Dogs begin by mastering basic obedience before moving on to specialized tasks that support their handler’s unique needs.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
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Initially, bedtime stories tended to be moralistic tales designed to reinforce obedience and proper behavior.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Would-be autocrats create environments of fear and powerlessness, using intimidation, overwhelming force or political and legal attacks, and other coercive tactics to force acquiescence and chill democratic pushback.—
Shelley Inglis,
The Conversation,
19 Oct. 2025
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Yet, the lesson of the Voting Rights Act is that the response to these setbacks isn’t despair or acquiescence.—
Time,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In Killers of the Flower Moon, his Ernest Burkhart starts off as a mopey, weak-minded World War One veteran, eager to do anything for his godfather uncle (Robert De Niro), but there’s still a certain likability to his dim-bulb submissiveness.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deference.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deference. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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