as in deferent
marked by or showing proper regard for another's higher status
the children were remarkably respectful while in the president's office
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of respectful
And someone who is a great listener, respectful, caring, chilled out, someone who supports my dreams – and is cool with my chaos.
—
Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Jim has always been willing to co-parent in a respectful and productive way however Meghan has yet to reciprocate.
—Sarah Jones, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
Addressing such behavior promptly and fostering a positive, respectful environment is essential for maintaining team cohesion and success.
—Nancy Pulciano, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025
There were the respectful and sincere comments condemning the killing.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for respectful
Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Jim has always been willing to co-parent in a respectful and productive way however Meghan has yet to reciprocate.
—Sarah Jones, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
Addressing such behavior promptly and fostering a positive, respectful environment is essential for maintaining team cohesion and success.
—Nancy Pulciano, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025
There were the respectful and sincere comments condemning the killing.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for respectful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for respectful
Adjective
-
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
Adjective
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The rather polite 47-year-old Englishman remained transfixed on the massive video board down the hill.—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
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Even polite England is experiencing massive strikes and angry marches.—
Renaud Foucart,
Time,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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That Maestro screening featured the vociferous participation of Leonard Bernstein’s surviving family members, as well as Cooper himself watching silently from the audience (the strike prevented him from doing more), a perfect companion to Cooper’s alternately reverent and over-the-top biopic.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
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The atmosphere is reverent and energized, with attendees standing in collective praise hours before the formal program begins.—
Amanda Castro
Mandy Taheri
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Maryland’s appeal points to Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, which instructs federal judges to be highly deferential in evaluating state criminal convictions.—
Zach Schonfeld,
The Hill,
24 Sep. 2025
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The joke was neither too harsh nor too deferential.—
Hershal Pandya,
Vulture,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Respectful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/respectful. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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