obedience

American  

[oh-bee-dee-uhns] / oʊˈbi di əns /

noun

1. the state or quality of being obedient.

2. the act or practice of obeying; dutiful or submissive compliance.

   Military service demands obedience from its members.

   Synonyms:

   deference, subservience, submission

3. a sphere of authority or jurisdiction, especially ecclesiastical.

4. Chiefly Ecclesiastical.

   1. conformity to a monastic rule or the authority of a religious superior, especially on the part of one who has vowed such conformance.

   2. the rule or authority that exacts such conformance.

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obedience British  

/ əˈbiːdɪəns /

noun

1. the condition or quality of being obedient

2. the act or an instance of obeying; dutiful or submissive behaviour

3. the authority vested in a Church or similar body

4. the collective group of persons submitting to this authority See also passive obedience

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Other Word Forms

• overobedience noun
• preobedience noun
• superobedience noun

Etymology

Origin of obedience

1150–1200; Middle English < Old French < Latin oboedientia. See obedient, -ence

Related Words

• acquiescence
• conformity
• deference
• orderliness
• reverence