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
Senate Republicans have maintained Trump should receive a significant amount of deference on the tariff front, especially as trade and economic advisers attempt to hammer out dozens of agreements in the coming months.
—
Al Weaver, The Hill, 7 May 2025
Georgetown Law School Professor David Super also questioned the amount of deference that Haines gave the administration, including on the questions of whether Tren de Aragua is invading the U.S. and whether the Venezuelan government is responsible.
—Joe Walsh
may 15, CBS News, 15 May 2025
Atlantis Paradise Island, where Jaisingh was staying, declined to offer further comment in deference to his family.
—Sam Gillette, People.com, 13 May 2025
But that quarter claiming overreach is notably selective—executive boldness received their deference when the shoe was on the other foot.
—Clyde Wayne Crews Jr, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for deference
Al Weaver, The Hill, 7 May 2025
Georgetown Law School Professor David Super also questioned the amount of deference that Haines gave the administration, including on the questions of whether Tren de Aragua is invading the U.S. and whether the Venezuelan government is responsible.
—Joe Walsh
may 15, CBS News, 15 May 2025
Atlantis Paradise Island, where Jaisingh was staying, declined to offer further comment in deference to his family.
—Sam Gillette, People.com, 13 May 2025
But that quarter claiming overreach is notably selective—executive boldness received their deference when the shoe was on the other foot.
—Clyde Wayne Crews Jr, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for deference
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deference
Noun
-
This can be through walking, obedience training, running, games of fetch, or swimming.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
-
There may have been very little emotional vulnerability exchanged between kids and parents, while kids were required to perform obedience rather than express their authentic selves.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
6 May 2025
Noun
-
The scene goes on at length, Fanny taking and twisting every one of her husband’s arguments into so many knots he is left tongue-tied, all opposition mute, all acquiescence complete.—
Natalie Jenner
May 6,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2025
-
In a post-American Europe, Moscow would establish a patchwork of individual relationships with European countries, confronting some with territorial threats and gray-zone tactics (such as disinformation campaigns) and rewarding others for their acquiescence with cheap energy.—
Liana Fix,
Foreign Affairs,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deference.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deference. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
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