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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In spite of a seismic crossing of the technological Rubicon, an abandonment of the centuries-old deference to the naked eye, a codifying and calcifying of the most atomic-level building block of the sport, baseball mostly just looked like baseball.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
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In Syria, Russia positioned itself between Iran and Israel, using its S-400 missile system to control the skies and leveraging that control to extract deference from both sides.—
Joseph Epstein,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Growth requires humility, not defensiveness.—
Johnny C. Taylor Jr,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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The wolf is humility, and the turtle is truth.—
Elizabeth Howell,
Space.com,
30 Mar. 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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Their genuine modesty and humility was really exciting to show.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Mar. 2026
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His epistemological modesty produced a spirit of caution.—
David Brooks,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Respectfulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/respectfulness. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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