Synonyms of deference

deference

noun

ˈde-fə-rən(t)s 

as in obedience

a readiness or willingness to yield to the wishes of others

the sycophantic deference with which the hotel treats celebrity guests

Synonyms & Similar Words

• obedience
• acquiescence
• submissiveness
• docility
• assent
• compliancy
• compliance
• humoring
• subservience
• complaisance
• obsequiousness
• biddability
• receptivity
• servility
• subserviency
• receptiveness
• acceptance
• slavishness
• consent
• amenability
• amiability
• conformity
• surrender
• friendliness
• cordiality
• indulgence
• cooperativeness
• geniality
• capitulation
• submission
• sociability
• affability
• amicability
• good-naturedness
• congeniality

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• defiance
• disobedience
• hostility
• animosity
• recalcitrance
• enmity
• antipathy
• intractability
• ill will

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun deference differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of deference are homage, honor, and reverence. While all these words mean "respect and esteem shown to another," deference implies a yielding or submitting to another's judgment or preference out of respect or reverence.

showed no deference to their elders

In what contexts can homage take the place of deference?

The words homage and deference can be used in similar contexts, but homage adds the implication of accompanying praise.

paying homage to Shakespeare

When is honor a more appropriate choice than deference?

The words honor and deference are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, honor may apply to the recognition of one's right to great respect or to any expression of such recognition.

the nomination is an honor

When might reverence be a better fit than deference?

The synonyms reverence and deference are sometimes interchangeable, but reverence implies profound respect mingled with love, devotion, or awe.

great reverence for my father

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of deference

American intellectual and literary culture may or may not abandon its deference to power and wealth and go to that necessary war against itself in order to salvage its dignity and purpose. —Pankaj Mishra, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025

Judges are no longer expected to defer to agency interpretation when a statute is ambiguous, meaning judicial deference to agencies, including those in the Trump administration, has been reduced. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 22 July 2025

And in Loper Bright Enterprises vs. Raimondo (2024), the Court effectively overturned the Chevron doctrine, a 40-year precedent that had granted deference to federal agencies' interpretations of ambiguous laws. —Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 July 2025

And there our instinct under the Free Exercise Clause should in most cases be one of deference to the parents. —Stephen L. Carter, Mercury News, 8 July 2025

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