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
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Recent Examples of dutiful
Her son, Navaraj, is obedient and dutiful.
—
Jessica Vantine Birkenholtz, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
Like Becky Sharp, the willful, wicked lead of William Makepeace Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, Heidi rolled her eyes at her dutiful counterpart.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
But the audience in the Dolby Theater had too much affection for, among other films, One Battle After Another and Sinners for this year’s Oscars to ever feel dutiful.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
Teddy, meanwhile, has gone all in on his devotion to Jonathan, while still playing the dutiful son for Roper.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dutiful
Jessica Vantine Birkenholtz, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
Like Becky Sharp, the willful, wicked lead of William Makepeace Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, Heidi rolled her eyes at her dutiful counterpart.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
But the audience in the Dolby Theater had too much affection for, among other films, One Battle After Another and Sinners for this year’s Oscars to ever feel dutiful.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
Teddy, meanwhile, has gone all in on his devotion to Jonathan, while still playing the dutiful son for Roper.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dutiful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dutiful
Adjective
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The show’s premise is to encourage just that kind of honest and respectful conversation between people with very different beliefs about medicine and health.—
Torie Bosch,
STAT,
18 Apr. 2026
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Insulting comments by this individual do not promote the slightest suggestion of reasonable and respectful negotiations.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Apr. 2026
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 Feb. 2026
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And many advocates are promoting a vision of public health that’s less dependent on mandates and appeals to authority, and more deferent to individuals’ beliefs.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dutiful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dutiful. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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