1
as in submission
a bending to the authority or control of another
the drill sergeant demanded complete and unquestioning obedience from the recruits
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in submissiveness
a readiness or willingness to yield to the wishes of others
the cowardly obedience with which the dictator's henchmen followed his every command
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in adherence
the following of a custom, rule, or law
expectations of strict obedience to the guidelines were soon dashed
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 obedience
Then, at around 10 to 12 weeks, after getting their vaccinations, your pup can enter obedience classes outside the home.
—
Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025
Cardinals pay homage — Six cardinals kiss the pope’s ring in a gesture of obedience.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 18 May 2025
Emerging from the Chicago suburbs, Francis — born Neal Francis O’Hara — was raised in an Irish-Catholic family that revolved around church, hard work, and obedience.
—Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 18 May 2025
The other symbolically important moment of the Mass was the representational rite of obedience to Leo, performed by cardinals, bishops, priests, deacons, nuns, a Peruvian married couple and two young people.
—Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for obedience
Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025
Cardinals pay homage — Six cardinals kiss the pope’s ring in a gesture of obedience.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 18 May 2025
Emerging from the Chicago suburbs, Francis — born Neal Francis O’Hara — was raised in an Irish-Catholic family that revolved around church, hard work, and obedience.
—Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 18 May 2025
The other symbolically important moment of the Mass was the representational rite of obedience to Leo, performed by cardinals, bishops, priests, deacons, nuns, a Peruvian married couple and two young people.
—Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for obedience
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obedience
Noun
-
Poirier failed to unify the title, losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov by submission at UFC 242 in September 2019.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
-
This helps users meet limits on meta descriptions, ads or submission forms.—
Ascend Agency,
New York Daily News,
27 June 2025
Noun
-
Far from being mere amenities, these elements are essential for reducing stress, improving treatment adherence and contributing to faster, more complete recovery.—
Nuri Kino,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 June 2025
-
What are the requirements to be a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader? Being a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader requires strict adherence to a series of rules.—
Maddie Garfinkle,
People.com,
18 June 2025
Noun
-
In October 2024, Apple started to require identity verification for users sending more than $500 in total Apple Cash peer-to-peer transactions in line with anti-money laundering compliance.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 June 2025
-
Before coming to The Athletic, Weiss spent a decade working for the government, primarily as a compliance bank regulator.—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
Noun
-
The major sticking point in negotiations that kept the strike going for nearly a year was protections surrounding generative A.I., which the gaming companies made significant acquiescences to come their best, last and final offer.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
11 June 2025
-
His goal seems to be to scare the public into acquiescence.—
Lisa Jarvis,
Mercury News,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
But beyond the surface-level cold water shock of the film’s brashness lies a story of societal problems writ large and a meditation on the dangers of conformity.—
Paul Fitzgerald,
Rolling Stone,
23 June 2025
-
This sharing means expressing their personality … but also a desire of conformity.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
19 June 2025
Noun
-
Host quarterly or monthly sessions where employees across roles share their observations, stories, and hypotheses about the market.—
Rhea Wessel,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
-
The 2019 failure of a military observation satellite for the United Arab Emirates, called the Vega rocket, led to $411 million in claims — the largest such loss in history, Reuters reported.—
Tom Brown,
Space.com,
28 June 2025
Noun
-
Erotic surrender alone will not subvert or even really trouble the monarchy, which requires its own elaborately binding outfits and public displays of intimacy.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
26 June 2025
-
Failure to do so is not judicial humility, but, at best, judicial surrender in the face of a terrible crime.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
25 June 2025
Noun
-
We should be united about what’s at stake, compromise in deference to the facts, and work together to build what America needs.—
John Ketchum,
Fortune,
24 June 2025
-
Even as Marine Corps recruiters promote enlistment as protection for families lacking legal status, directives for strict immigrant enforcement have cast away practices of deference previously afforded to military families, immigration law experts say.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obedience.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obedience. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share