as in deference
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Recent Examples of respectfulness
People considered other traits – such as loyalty, reliability, respectfulness and being there in times of need – to be much more important.
—
Athena Aktipis, The Conversation, 10 Oct. 2025
Athena Aktipis, The Conversation, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for respectfulness
Noun
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The cinematography, score and editing all stay flat-footed in deference to its lead.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
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Fed officials are not entitled to the same special deference in their stewardship of public monies…or in bank regulatory and supervisory policy…or in areas affecting international finance, among other matters.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Your legacy, as it is being formed daily, reflects division rather than love, harm rather than healing, and self-exaltation rather than humility.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
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Chief among his enviable traits is probably his humility.—
LeVar Burton,
Time,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But for Coles, his indoctrination to law enforcement has been a different level of submissiveness.—
Dan Pompei,
New York Times,
2 Dec. 2025
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In Killers of the Flower Moon, his Ernest Burkhart starts off as a mopey, weak-minded World War One veteran, eager to do anything for his godfather uncle (Robert De Niro), but there’s still a certain likability to his dim-bulb submissiveness.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Such meekness is understandable from him.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Feb. 2026
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Likewise, meekness once meant not becoming weak, but subjugating power to reason – not letting anger take control.—
Timothy J. Pawl,
The Conversation,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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His athletic testing, however, lacked modesty.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
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Their genuine modesty and humility was really exciting to show.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Respectfulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/respectfulness. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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