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
Rose responded with a lengthy post in a notably more respectful, though still hostile, tone than his post against Czarzasty.
—
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 5 Feb. 2026
Garden State Esports in Toms River, New Jersey, will host a hybrid gaming event focused on respectful online behavior.
—Larry Magid, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
Very competitive and so respectful, just like all of those Maye kids.
—Diamond Vences, Charlotte Observer, 3 Feb. 2026
Garrett stuck with coach speak and was respectful of the questions by the media.
—Dallas Morning News, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for respectful
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 5 Feb. 2026
Garden State Esports in Toms River, New Jersey, will host a hybrid gaming event focused on respectful online behavior.
—Larry Magid, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
Very competitive and so respectful, just like all of those Maye kids.
—Diamond Vences, Charlotte Observer, 3 Feb. 2026
Garrett stuck with coach speak and was respectful of the questions by the media.
—Dallas Morning News, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for respectful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for respectful
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
Adjective
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Jim Dickinson stepped in to produce and play a little piano, but Travis deemed the results too polished, too polite, too bourgeois.—
Stephen M. Deusner,
Pitchfork,
8 Feb. 2026
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Messy is a polite way to describe the silos of vitriol that have turned hate into a national pastime.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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One indication of the push for more deferential leadership at the DOJ is the elevation of the Missouri prosecutor Thomas Albus to oversee election investigations nationwide.—
Michael Scherer,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
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The Meloni-like cherub is shown in a deferential pose toward the king.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Those elements, and time spent in the sauna, are meant to create a magical, reverent place that exists between worlds and outside of hierarchies, Argeropoulous said.—
Bridget Fogarty,
jsonline.com,
2 Feb. 2026
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But the campaign against Good is different—because The Homeland takes particular and perverse interest in women deemed insufficiently reverent of hearth and home.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Respectful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/respectful. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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