Deference
/ˈdɛ.fɚ.əns/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Great respect. countable, uncountable
"The children treated their elders with deference."
- 2 a courteous expression (by word or deed) of esteem or regard wordnet
- 3 The willingness to carry out the wishes of others. countable, uncountable
"By tidying his room, he showed deference to his mother."
- 4 a disposition or tendency to yield to the will of others wordnet
- 5 courteous regard for people's feelings wordnet
Example
More examples"Then I'll work on the principle that deference is no substitute for obedience."
Etymology
From French déférence. Morphologically defer + -ence.