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
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
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
-
Our journey began humbly in 1983 with high-stakes bingo.—
Cody J Martinez,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The archbishop knocks on the door with a pastoral staff and humbly requests admission to the cathedral.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
25 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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The book club always politely declines, given its specific chemistry.—
Maddie Connors,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
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When her mom politely declined, Heath turned to Press.—
Asli Pelit,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Adverb
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Outwardly Smart behaved submissively, following her captors’ instructions while always looking for a way to escape.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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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
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That was checkmate, as Martinez grounded out meekly to end the season.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Lateef sheepishly raked his hand through his hair.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
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Kayumi then appeared to sheepishly shrink in his chair.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deferentially.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deferentially. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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