as in respectful
marked by or showing proper regard for another's higher status
the family showed a dutiful deference to their minister when he came to dinner
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Recent Examples of dutiful
Or a group of high-minded, dutiful, quite-conscientious California voters?
—
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2026
The audience at the Grand Palais rewarded Hüller’s performance as the dutiful daughter of a post-war German literary genius with a 5-minute standing ovation, by Variety‘s count.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 14 May 2026
But overall, the dutiful Queen seemed to loosen up in the more casual America.
—Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 15 Apr. 2026
Ever the dutiful Pearl Girl, Daisy takes Agnes to the dentist to have her tooth fixed.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dutiful
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2026
The audience at the Grand Palais rewarded Hüller’s performance as the dutiful daughter of a post-war German literary genius with a 5-minute standing ovation, by Variety‘s count.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 14 May 2026
But overall, the dutiful Queen seemed to loosen up in the more casual America.
—Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 15 Apr. 2026
Ever the dutiful Pearl Girl, Daisy takes Agnes to the dentist to have her tooth fixed.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dutiful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dutiful
Adjective
-
There are, on average, two weddings a week at the resort; sometimes sound can carry from the beachfront reception, but the party never lasts too late in order to be respectful of guests.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
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There are respectful blink-and-you’ll-miss-them nods to the tournament’s other co-hosts, Mexico and Canada – some flags, maple syrup and a guacamole dip – and the French even found a way to shout out some of their sponsors and partners.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
The Ptolemaic model depicted planets moving around Earth in a big circle, known as a deferent, then going around a smaller circle while retrograding, called an epicycle.—
Carlie Procell,
USA Today,
25 Feb. 2026
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And many advocates are promoting a vision of public health that’s less dependent on mandates and appeals to authority, and more deferent to individuals’ beliefs.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dutiful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dutiful. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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