deferentially
Americanadverb
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.
Eventually, Isabel convinces him to see her humanity, not by behaving deferentially but by confessing the agony of her recent loss and asking about the losses he’s sustained that are similar to her own.
From Salon • Jan. 26, 2024
That pedestrian’s family says they don’t believe that police sufficiently investigated whether Nadine was driving recklessly, and a witness says she was treated deferentially at the scene.
From Slate • Oct. 7, 2023
Meanwhile, Saint-Etienne deferentially wrote: external-link "The Black Panther is gone, taking a piece of our club with him."
From BBC • Sep. 7, 2023
In the distance, I hear “Action!” and I will later hear “Cut!” but otherwise a deferentially low volume permeates the space.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2023
Already, small moths decorated the screen; they pinged deferentially against the windows and fell away.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Definitions 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.
