as in respectful
marked by or showing proper regard for another's higher status
the man had the deferential attitude of someone who had been a servant his entire life
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Recent Examples of deferential
Part of the problem might have to do with her conversational approach—tentative, deferential, professional.
—
Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2025
Judges tend to be highly deferential to the privacy claims raised by these educational institutions.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 10 May 2025
Newsom’s deferential tone toward far-right guests like Charlie Kirk and Michael Savage—including agreeing with Kirk’s stance on banning transgender athletes from women’s sports—has alienated progressive allies and LGBTQ+ advocates, undermining his reputation as a champion of LGBTQ+ rights[1][7][9].
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025
Pritchard describes a relaxed, collegial creative process – one by two legends who, if anything, might have been too deferential.
—Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for deferential
Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2025
Judges tend to be highly deferential to the privacy claims raised by these educational institutions.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 10 May 2025
Newsom’s deferential tone toward far-right guests like Charlie Kirk and Michael Savage—including agreeing with Kirk’s stance on banning transgender athletes from women’s sports—has alienated progressive allies and LGBTQ+ advocates, undermining his reputation as a champion of LGBTQ+ rights[1][7][9].
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025
Pritchard describes a relaxed, collegial creative process – one by two legends who, if anything, might have been too deferential.
—Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for deferential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deferential
Adjective
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The call started as expected – respectful and professional on both sides.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
People.com,
7 June 2025
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His cultural instinct to retreat into respectful silence was misread by headquarters as weakness, nearly derailing his career trajectory.—
Katrina Burrus,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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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
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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,
19 Apr. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Deferential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deferential. Accessed 21 Jun. 2025.
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