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
Hansen portrayed himself as a dutiful husband and father and later claimed that his wife was unaware of his crimes.
—
Caroline Blair, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Ruth knew the community said the same thing—anyone reading the New Testament out loud said the same thing—and were dutiful in concern for all those implicated in both beatitudes and the Civil Rights Act.
—Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
Right staffing: recruiting entrepreneurial staff, not dutiful rule-followers.
—Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2025
Ouattara’s current number two, Tiémoko Meyliet Koné — a respected former central bank governor — is seen as loyal and dutiful, but not a future president.
—Joël Té-Léssia Assoko, semafor.com, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dutiful
Caroline Blair, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Ruth knew the community said the same thing—anyone reading the New Testament out loud said the same thing—and were dutiful in concern for all those implicated in both beatitudes and the Civil Rights Act.
—Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
Right staffing: recruiting entrepreneurial staff, not dutiful rule-followers.
—Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2025
Ouattara’s current number two, Tiémoko Meyliet Koné — a respected former central bank governor — is seen as loyal and dutiful, but not a future president.
—Joël Té-Léssia Assoko, semafor.com, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dutiful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dutiful
Adjective
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We are greatly encouraged by their commitment to fostering a mutually respectful workplace, as demonstrated by their voluntary recognition of our union.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
30 Sep. 2025
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Where are our best role models for good listening and for respectful discourse?—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Dutiful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dutiful. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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