as in obedience
a readiness or willingness to yield to the wishes of others
the sycophantic deference with which the hotel treats celebrity guests
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deference
In deference to the late, great Ryne Sandberg, who died from acute prostate cancer this past July at 65, this column about the current Cubs-Padres Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field is for him.
—
Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 1 Oct. 2025
For human rights advocates, Johnson’s reluctance to forcefully criticize Bukele at the time was a sign of his undue deference to the Salvadoran leader.
—T. Christian Miller, ProPublica, 30 Sep. 2025
Not to mention the emphasis on respect and deference to one's elders.
—Katherine Singh, Refinery29, 11 Sep. 2025
The central factor is the growing power asymmetry between China and India, and Beijing demanding deference within Asia—a hierarchy India resists.
—Shyam Saran, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deference
Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 1 Oct. 2025
For human rights advocates, Johnson’s reluctance to forcefully criticize Bukele at the time was a sign of his undue deference to the Salvadoran leader.
—T. Christian Miller, ProPublica, 30 Sep. 2025
Not to mention the emphasis on respect and deference to one's elders.
—Katherine Singh, Refinery29, 11 Sep. 2025
The central factor is the growing power asymmetry between China and India, and Beijing demanding deference within Asia—a hierarchy India resists.
—Shyam Saran, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deference
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deference
Noun
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Routine also supports easier training, as incorporating obedience lessons into daily schedules reinforces learning through consistency.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
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The plan does not cover pre-existing conditions, training or obedience classes and more.—
Ryley Amond,
CNBC,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Supreme Court has seen this before The ruling in Harvard’s favor follows a long legal tradition of Supreme Court rulings that bar the government from demanding ideological acquiescence in exchange for support.—
Stephanie A,
The Conversation,
17 Sep. 2025
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Yet, the lesson of the Voting Rights Act is that the response to these setbacks isn’t despair or acquiescence.—
Time,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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
Cite this Entry
“Deference.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deference. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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