1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

respectful

adjective

ri-ˈspekt-fəl How to pronounce respectful (audio)
Definition of respectfulnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 respectful Dion appeared to be surrounded by security, with onlookers close to her yet respectful of her space. — Ashley Iasimone, Billboard, 19 Sep. 2026 The Marine Mammal Center encouraged the public to let the whale be and ensure to view it from a respectful distance. — Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026 But there are hardly any screens left that are respectful to pixels. — Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 14 Sep. 2026 There are many entry points, some more reliable (and respectful to the victims) than others. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for respectful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for respectful
  1. deferent
  2. polite
  3. deferential
  4. reverent
Adjective
  • 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 Feb. 2026
  • 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
Definition of deferent
Adjective
  • Is there a kind and polite way to tell this gentleman to stop telling me jokes?
    — Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026
  • In the end, voters are choosing people for important jobs that don’t come with polite moderators and audience applause cues.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of polite
Adjective
  • In an unusually deferential gesture for this bad-boy artist, Gagosian’s checklist states that Wolfson used the photo with the permission of the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation.
    — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Throughout his opinion, Carter repeatedly described the deferential standard of review judges are obligated to follow under the Federal Arbitration Act.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of deferential
Adjective
  • But an extensive fiiing made by the trust to a Tennessee court late Tuesday afternoon paint a different portrait of Seaver than the reverent one seen in the death announcement video.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Waterhouse often works with hairstylist Jacob Rozenberg, who has crafted her blonde hair into a reverent, glamorous bedhead.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of reverent

Browse Nearby Words

respected
respectful
respectfully
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Respectful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/respectful. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of slew

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All