as in respectful
marked by or showing proper regard for another's higher status
the family showed a dutiful deference to their minister when he came to dinner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dutiful
The energy burst obliterated AL (into a sperm and egg that the dutiful cleaner robot swept up), while Fifteen as a Time Lord was able to absorb the part of the blast directed at Belinda.
—
Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 12 Apr. 2025
With numinous Neptune officially transiting your dutiful sixth house of health, work, routines and day-to-day affairs, your lifestyle is evolving.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 30 Mar. 2025
Britain’s rules governing metal detecting require dutiful adherence to reporting requirements, with potential legal consequences for failing to do so.
—Ali Watkins, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
After making her small screen debut aged eight, a 14-year-old Knightley entered the big leagues in George Lucas’s sci-fi epic, as a dutiful handmaiden to the pale-faced queen (Natalie Portman), who serves as her steely decoy.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dutiful
Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 12 Apr. 2025
With numinous Neptune officially transiting your dutiful sixth house of health, work, routines and day-to-day affairs, your lifestyle is evolving.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 30 Mar. 2025
Britain’s rules governing metal detecting require dutiful adherence to reporting requirements, with potential legal consequences for failing to do so.
—Ali Watkins, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
After making her small screen debut aged eight, a 14-year-old Knightley entered the big leagues in George Lucas’s sci-fi epic, as a dutiful handmaiden to the pale-faced queen (Natalie Portman), who serves as her steely decoy.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dutiful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dutiful
Adjective
-
But officially, the Sox are playing it cool and trying to be respectful.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
14 May 2025
-
Though Ancelotti didn’t pick Rivaldo often during their time at AC Milan together in the early 2000s, the ex-forward has always been publicly respectful of the Champions League’s most successful coach while stressing there is no bad blood between them.—
Tom Sanderson,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
“Dutiful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dutiful. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share