Deference — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

a courteous expression (by word or deed) of esteem or regard

courteous regard for people's feelings

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/dɪspˈʌnɪʃəbəl/

🇬🇧British English

/dˈɛfɹəns/

🇮🇳Indian English

/dˈɛfɹəns/

3 syllables Say it as /dɪspˈʌnɪʃəbəl/.

Examples

his deference to her wishes was very flattering
be sure to give my respects to the dean
in deference to your wishes

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

compliance respect obligingness compliancy respectfulness complaisance

Parts of Speech

noun	a courteous expression (by word or deed) of esteem or regard “his deference to her wishes was very flattering”
noun	courteous regard for people's feelings “in deference to your wishes”
noun	a disposition or tendency to yield to the will of others

Word Forms

deferential	adjective	showing deference
deferent	adjective	showing deference
respect	verb	show respect towards
defer	verb	yield to another's wish or opinion
respectful	adjective	feeling or manifesting veneration
complaisant	adjective	showing a cheerful willingness to do favors for others
compliant	adjective	disposed or willing to comply
comply	verb	act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes
obliging	adjective	showing a cheerful willingness to do favors for others

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Ehrerbietung

ein höflicher Ausdruck (durch Wort oder Tat) der Wertschätzung oder Rücksichtnahme

🇫🇷French

respect

une expression courtoise (par des paroles ou des actes) d'estime ou de considération

🇪🇸Spanish

deferencia

una expresión cortés (de palabra o de hecho) de estima o respeto

🇮🇹Italian

deferenza

una cortese espressione (con parole o fatti) di stima o considerazione

🇳🇱Dutch

eerbied

een hoffelijke uiting (in woord of daad) van achting of achting

🇵🇹Portuguese

deferência

uma expressão cortês (por palavra ou ação) de estima ou consideração

🇷🇺Russian

почтение

вежливое выражение (словом или делом) уважения или уважения

India

🇮🇳Hindi

सम्मान

सम्मान या सम्मान की एक विनम्र अभिव्यक्ति (शब्द या कार्य द्वारा)।

🇧🇩Bengali

সম্মান

সম্মান বা সম্মানের একটি বিনয়ী অভিব্যক্তি (শব্দ বা কাজের দ্বারা)

🇮🇳Tamil

மரியாதை

மரியாதை அல்லது மரியாதையின் மரியாதையான வெளிப்பாடு (சொல் அல்லது செயலால்).

🇮🇳Telugu

గౌరవం

గౌరవం లేదా గౌరవం యొక్క మర్యాదపూర్వక వ్యక్తీకరణ (మాట లేదా దస్తావేజు ద్వారా).

🇮🇳Marathi

आदर

आदर किंवा आदराची विनम्र अभिव्यक्ती (शब्द किंवा कृतीद्वारे).

🇮🇳Gujarati

આદર

સન્માન અથવા આદરની નમ્ર અભિવ્યક્તિ (શબ્દ અથવા કાર્ય દ્વારા).

🇮🇳Kannada

ಗೌರವ

ಗೌರವ ಅಥವಾ ಗೌರವದ ವಿನಯಶೀಲ ಅಭಿವ್ಯಕ್ತಿ (ಪದ ಅಥವಾ ಕಾರ್ಯದಿಂದ).

🇮🇳Malayalam

ബഹുമാനം

ആദരവിൻ്റെയോ ആദരവിൻ്റെയോ മാന്യമായ ഒരു പദപ്രയോഗം (വാക്കിലൂടെയോ പ്രവൃത്തിയിലൂടെയോ).

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਸਨਮਾਨ

ਸਤਿਕਾਰ ਜਾਂ ਸਤਿਕਾਰ ਦਾ ਇੱਕ ਨਿਮਰ ਪ੍ਰਗਟਾਵਾ (ਸ਼ਬਦ ਜਾਂ ਕੰਮ ਦੁਆਰਾ)

🇵🇰Urdu

احترام

عزت یا احترام کا شائستہ اظہار (لفظ یا عمل سے)

East & Southeast Asia

🇯🇵Japanese

敬意を表します

尊敬または敬意の（言葉または行為による）丁寧な表現

🇰🇷Korean

복종

존경이나 존중의 정중한 표현(말이나 행동으로)

🇻🇳Vietnamese

sự tôn trọng

một biểu hiện lịch sự (bằng lời nói hoặc hành động) của sự tôn trọng hoặc tôn trọng

🇹🇭Thai

ความเคารพ

การแสดงออกอย่างสุภาพ (ด้วยคำพูดหรือการกระทำ) ให้เกียรติหรือนับถือ

🇮🇩Indonesian

rasa hormat

ekspresi sopan (dengan kata-kata atau perbuatan) penghargaan atau rasa hormat

🇵🇭Filipino

paggalang

isang magalang na pagpapahayag (sa salita o gawa) ng pagpapahalaga o pagpapahalaga

🇲🇾Malay

rasa hormat

ungkapan yang sopan (dengan perkataan atau perbuatan) penghormatan atau penghormatan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

احترام

تعبير مهذب (بالقول أو الفعل) عن التقدير أو الاعتبار

🇮🇷Persian

احترام

بیان مؤدبانه (با گفتار یا عمل) از احترام یا احترام

🇹🇷Turkish

saygı

saygı veya saygının nazik bir ifadesi (söz veya eylemle)

🇮🇱Hebrew

כָּבוֹד

ביטוי אדיב (במילה או מעשה) של הערכה או כבוד

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'deference'?

The primary meaning of 'deference' is 'a courteous expression (by word or deed) of esteem or regard'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'deference' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'deference' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'deference' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'deference' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'deference' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'deference' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'deference' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'deference' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'deference' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'deference' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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