Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

deferential

[def-uh-ren-shuhl]

Example Sentences Origin

adjective

showing deference; deferent; respectful.

Origin:
1815–25; after deference, by analogy with such pairs as residence: residential

Related forms

def·er·en·tial·ly, adverb

non·def·er·en·tial, adjective

non·def·er·en·tial·ly, adverb

o·ver·def·er·en·tial, adjective

o·ver·def·er·en·tial·ly, adverb

EXPAND

un·def·er·en·tial, adjective

un·def·er·en·tial·ly, adverb

COLLAPSE

Synonyms
courteous, regardful, dutiful, obedient, reverential.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To deferential

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Deferential is always a great word to know.

So is gobo. Does it mean:

a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.

a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Example Sentences

As a judge, he was too deferential to the government.

We as a country and as a culture are far too deferential to the police.

Wetside politicians may become a little more deferential to dryside needs simply to avoid appearing dictatorial.

EXPAND

As a judge, he was too deferential to the government.

We as a country and as a culture are far too deferential to the police.

Wetside politicians may become a little more deferential to dryside needs simply to avoid appearing dictatorial.

He's an elder statesman treated with deferential respect by his young co-workers.

Both the inmate's lawyer and the administration are arguing that when it comes to race, the deferential stance should not apply.

If you're overly deferential or timid, faculty tend to see this as a signal that you're not a peer.

For the royal weddings of the past, the celebratory crockery and linen in shops was starchy and deferential.

When reviewing for reasonableness, courts of appeals apply the deferential abuse-of-discretion standard.

Prone to deferential giggling, she seems content to stay at home and organize her spices.

The property rightists, who are also less deferential than originalists to state legislatures, are popular among business groups.

For a professional athlete who was a four-time all-American in both high school and college, she can be surprisingly deferential.

Some also worry that she will be too deferential to the executive on matters of civil liberties.

Some of the justices' comments this week sounded as though they were feeling far too deferential to the military.

In general, though, boards are undoubtedly becoming less deferential.

Salerno began landing choice plumbing contracts and commanding deferential treatment around town.

Around the edge of it, with a certain deferential caution, comes a hat.

As said above, be polite and deferential to the archivists.

The vibe is uncozy, at odds with the quietly deferential waiters.

He is excessively deferential to authorities, even when gently rejecting their views.

It was a welcome departure for a court that has been far too deferential to business.

His quiet and deferential demeanor ran counter to the picture painted then by defense lawyers of an aggressive, violent felon.

Brown is likely to be both deferential to cabinet colleagues and highly selective in his administration's interests.

Adolphe is too deferential to the scientific concepts in this colorfully scored, skillfully written, though rather tame piece.

The ruling took a deferential stance toward them and other national security experts, saying:.

Lang, sometimes prone to a nearly reckless flamboyance, showed that he could be a deferential colleague.

He has been criticized by some senior officers who saw him as too deferential to civilian.

Haggerty has been described as deferential to his political mentors.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

deferential (ˌdɛfəˈrɛnʃəl)

—*adj*
	marked by or showing deference or respect; respectful

defer'entially

—*adv*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

deferential

1822, from deference; as a word in anatomy, from 1877. Related: Deferentially.

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

deferential def·er·en·tial (děf'ə-rěn'shəl)
adj.
Of or relating to the vas deferens.

Word Dynamo By Dictionary.com

Searching for deferential?
How many words do you actually know?

FIND OUT

Related Words

fence honor obeisance

obeisance respectful

Matching Quote

"I'm not ugly. I'm cute as hell."

-Christine Craft

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Thesaurus

About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help