1
as in submission
a bending to the authority or control of another
the drill sergeant demanded complete and unquestioning obedience from the recruits
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in submissiveness
a readiness or willingness to yield to the wishes of others
the cowardly obedience with which the dictator's henchmen followed his every command
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in adherence
the following of a custom, rule, or law
expectations of strict obedience to the guidelines were soon dashed
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obedience
There are many reasons a person might hesitate to partake in French ring, a sport where dogs are judged on their agility, obedience and ability to provide protection.
—
Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Yann LeCun always reminds me of the very best of Bell Labs' scientists and engineers—a unique breed of individual, fiercely independent of thought and action, who thrive within company structures that typically value obedience and conformance to the corporate mantra and goals.
—Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
This is where the puppy fosters come in so the dog is trained to basic obedience, learning day-to-day with the family, house manners, interacting with different people, the household.
—Melinda Moore, Chicago Tribune, 10 Apr. 2025
Leaders who appreciate the worth of their team and respect others will gain far more than mere obedience.
—Chris Gallagher, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obedience
Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Yann LeCun always reminds me of the very best of Bell Labs' scientists and engineers—a unique breed of individual, fiercely independent of thought and action, who thrive within company structures that typically value obedience and conformance to the corporate mantra and goals.
—Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
This is where the puppy fosters come in so the dog is trained to basic obedience, learning day-to-day with the family, house manners, interacting with different people, the household.
—Melinda Moore, Chicago Tribune, 10 Apr. 2025
Leaders who appreciate the worth of their team and respect others will gain far more than mere obedience.
—Chris Gallagher, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obedience
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obedience
Noun
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This budget is not a final submission and anything that is submitted would need the approval of Congress to be implemented.—
Nathaniel Weixel,
The Hill,
17 Apr. 2025
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As part of his tightening grip on power, and his assault on 200-plus years of checks and balances, President Trump has bludgeoned some of the nation’s leading law firms into shameful submission, extracting hundreds of millions of dollars worth of free legal work for his pet causes.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Yet so often what happens…the balance is lost as the ideas of the visions are dismissed completely, buried under the obligation to create strict adherence to the now.—
Jayson Jenks,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
-
For example, prominently showcasing relevant industry product certifications can help reinforce your adherence to industry standards.—
Dmitriy Schwarzburg,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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New York reports 43% compliance, and California has reached nearly 55% compliance.—
Taylor Johnston,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2025
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Google implemented a strict email bulk sender authentication compliance requirement for Gmail messages starting April 1, 2024.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Small states have risen to power on first-mover advantages, often with the acquiescence or benign neglect of larger states.—
Kurt M. Campbell,
Foreign Affairs,
10 Apr. 2025
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What the character arrives at though is violent retribution, which feels like an unimaginative acquiescence to familiar pulp storytelling.—
J. Kim Murphy,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2025
Noun
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So what coherent message emerges from these surreal dreams of conformity?—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2025
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What Maryland public school systems need is not the inflexible conformity demanded by such plans.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The work relied on the seismometer network’s observations of more than 200 earthquakes, each of which produced multiple types of seismic waves.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
17 Apr. 2025
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One option is to conduct observations at submillimeter radio wavelengths, which is the next waveband up from far-infrared.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Military leaders pushed those possibilities to hellish extremes, following the logic that killing civilians might induce surrender.—
Colin Jones,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2025
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History has long taught us that such appeasement doesn’t work when concession is seen as weakness—or even as surrender.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
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But in deference to the Cavaliers, that’s what good teams can do, basically take the temperature of the game, measure what is needed, and then seize the moment when the moment needs to be seized.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
23 Apr. 2025
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White House budget requests are usually only aspirational documents to outline administration priorities and are ignored by lawmakers, but this Congress has shown an extreme deference to President Trump.—
Nathaniel Weixel,
The Hill,
16 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obedience.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obedience. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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