obedience

1 a bending to the authority or control of another the drill sergeant demanded complete and unquestioning obedience from the recruits Synonyms compliance, conformity, submission, subordination Related Words abidance, agreeability, amenability, teachableness, tractability, tractableness, trainability; acquiescence, capitulation, obeisance, obsequiousness, submissiveness, surrender, yielding; deference, docility, dutifulness, humility, meekness, modesty, servility, slavishness, subordinateness, subservience, subserviency; inhibition, repression, restraint, suppression; control, discipline, dutifulness, order Near Antonyms noncooperation, recusancy; disrespect, impudence, insolence, rudeness; insurgence, insurgency, insurrection, mutiny, outbreak, revolt; hardheadedness, mulishness, mutinousness, obstinacy, obstinateness, perversity, pigheadedness, stubbornness; misbehavior, mischievousness, naughtiness; dissent, dissidence Antonyms balkiness, contrariness, contumacy, defiance, disobedience, frowardness, insubordination, intractability, noncompliance, obstreperousness, rebelling, rebellion, rebelliousness, recalcitrance, refractoriness, self-will, unruliness, waywardness, willfulness

2 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 acquiescence, biddability, compliancy, deference, docility, compliance, submissivenessRelated Words amenability, amiability, complaisance, good-naturedness; obsequiousness, servility, slavishness, subservience, subserviency; conformity; cooperativeness, receptiveness, receptivity; humoring, indulgence; acceptance, assent, consent; capitulation, submission, surrender; affability, amicability, congeniality, cordiality, friendliness, geniality, sociabilityNear Antonyms animosity, antipathy, enmity, hostility, ill willAntonyms defiance, disobedience, intractability, recalcitrance

3 the following of a custom, rule, or law expectations of strict obedience to the guidelines were soon dashed Synonyms abidance, adherence, compliance, conformance, conformity, keeping, observance, observationRelated Words deference, honor, regard, respect, upholding; accession, acquiescence, submission, surrender; attendance, attention, heed, noticeNear Antonyms brush-off, disregard, ignoring; delinquency, dereliction, forgetting, neglect, overlooking; offense (or offence), sin, wrong; challenge, defiance, flouting, rebellionAntonyms breach, contravention, infraction, infringement, nonobservance, transgression, trespass, violation