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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Recent Examples of deference
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
In deference to the late, great Ryne Sandberg, who died from acute prostate cancer this past July at 65, this column about the current Cubs-Padres Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field is for him.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 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
Not to mention the emphasis on respect and deference to one's elders.
—Katherine Singh, Refinery29, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deference
Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2025
In deference to the late, great Ryne Sandberg, who died from acute prostate cancer this past July at 65, this column about the current Cubs-Padres Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field is for him.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 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
Not to mention the emphasis on respect and deference to one's elders.
—Katherine Singh, Refinery29, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deference
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deference
Noun
-
Initially, bedtime stories tended to be moralistic tales designed to reinforce obedience and proper behavior.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
-
These intelligent dogs are highly active and energetic, but respond well to obedience training.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
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 29 Oct. 2025.
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