as in humbly
in a manner showing no signs of pride or self-assertion
behaved deferentially when approaching someone in authority
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Recent Examples of deferentially
Precedent thus gave the judge reason to deferentially review settlement terms.
—
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 15 May 2026
Scorsese shoots them beautifully and deferentially.
—Matt Weinstock, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026
Princess Bride is superbly planned and deferentially orchestrated — its theme fits its telling.
—Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 15 May 2026
Scorsese shoots them beautifully and deferentially.
—Matt Weinstock, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026
Princess Bride is superbly planned and deferentially orchestrated — its theme fits its telling.
—Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deferentially
Adverb
-
The post shows the actress going from humbly accepting the compliment to striking her best modeling poses as the wind blows through her hair.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
-
Some films herald the scope of their ambitions from the opening frame, whereas others start humbly with a mastery that slowly comes to the fore.—
Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
20 May 2026
Adverb
-
The results are often, to put it politely, anywhere from underwhelming to plagiaristic.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
8 June 2026
-
Other kindly ushers, who had directed people to an adjacent section after Section 535 filled up, politely asked everyone to please put their shirts back on before returning to the general stadium population.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Adverb
-
Outwardly Smart behaved submissively, following her captors’ instructions while always looking for a way to escape.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Whether a man chose to use that pistol or meekly give up the money to a robber was up to him.—
Richard Selcer,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Apr. 2026
-
That was checkmate, as Martinez grounded out meekly to end the season.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
The 22-year-old sheepishly asked if Tarasenko could help him with his laundry.—
Joe Smith,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
-
Lateef sheepishly raked his hand through his hair.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deferentially.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deferentially. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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