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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Recent Examples of deference
By directly noting the deference owed to the Executive Branch, this ruling once again illustrates that activist judges do not have the jurisdiction to seize control of the President's authority to conduct foreign policy.
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Laura Romero, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2025
The question remains how the UC system, or Stanford, will react — with deference to preserve millions in federal funding and grants, or with defiance and likely risk a major blow to their bottom line?
—Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2025
When scientists criticized the preliminary findings of a joint study by the WHO and China on the origins of COVID-19, Tedros departed from the WHO’s typical deference to China.
—Thomas J. Bollyky, Foreign Affairs, 24 Mar. 2025
After making a show of deference to Donald Trump in the wake of deadly Los Angeles County wildfires earlier this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom appears to be back to challenging the federal government on climate change policies.
—Lia Russell, Sacramento Bee, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deference
Laura Romero, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2025
The question remains how the UC system, or Stanford, will react — with deference to preserve millions in federal funding and grants, or with defiance and likely risk a major blow to their bottom line?
—Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2025
When scientists criticized the preliminary findings of a joint study by the WHO and China on the origins of COVID-19, Tedros departed from the WHO’s typical deference to China.
—Thomas J. Bollyky, Foreign Affairs, 24 Mar. 2025
After making a show of deference to Donald Trump in the wake of deadly Los Angeles County wildfires earlier this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom appears to be back to challenging the federal government on climate change policies.
—Lia Russell, Sacramento Bee, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deference
Cite this Entry
“Deference.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deference. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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