deferential
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of deferential
1815–25; after deference, by analogy with such pairs as residence: residential
Explanation
When a young person shows respect and obedience to an older person, they’re being deferential to the elder’s wisdom and experience. To be obedient, courteous, or dutiful are all ways of being deferential. Bowing low to the Queen is a deferential act when visiting Buckingham Palace. On sports teams, rookies are usually deferential to the veterans and star players, while all players should be deferential to the coach. All employees are expected to be at least a little deferential to their bosses. Being deferential shows respect, but also means "I know my place, and it's lower than yours."
Vocabulary lists containing deferential
Dog Vocabulary: A Canine Lexicon
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Most interesting to me was the second category—group dynamics—which captures factors that are tricky to measure, such as, is a given board likely to be overly deferential to its CEO, management or each other?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
He’s definitely being deferential to Woody, and yet he’s pushing him.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
“He could come across as self-effacing and deferential, but in Don’s skilled hands those were qualities that made him an enormously strong and effective leader,” Boccardi said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
The justices are appointed by the Assembly, and are traditionally quite deferential to it.
From Slate ● Apr. 24, 2026
Only Reba, with her light pimply skin and deferential manner, looked as though her simplicity might also be vacuousness.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
