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
Without dutiful attention, these utilitarian items can quickly take your room from fab to drab, especially if not taken care of regularly.
—
Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2025
Barasch is clearly having a blast as the adorably dutiful Frederic, though he sometimes gets lost in the murky waters between operetta and musical theater.
—Christian Lewis, Variety, 25 Apr. 2025
Yet everything remains the same for Delia whose romantic fantasies have given way to an embrace of her roles as dutiful wife and loving mother despite the sneering condescension and outright physical abuse at the hands of her strutting petty tyrant husband Ivano (Valerio Mastandrea).
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
The energy burst obliterated AL (into a sperm and egg that the dutiful cleaner robot swept up), while Fifteen as a Time Lord was able to absorb the part of the blast directed at Belinda.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dutiful
Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2025
Barasch is clearly having a blast as the adorably dutiful Frederic, though he sometimes gets lost in the murky waters between operetta and musical theater.
—Christian Lewis, Variety, 25 Apr. 2025
Yet everything remains the same for Delia whose romantic fantasies have given way to an embrace of her roles as dutiful wife and loving mother despite the sneering condescension and outright physical abuse at the hands of her strutting petty tyrant husband Ivano (Valerio Mastandrea).
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
The energy burst obliterated AL (into a sperm and egg that the dutiful cleaner robot swept up), while Fifteen as a Time Lord was able to absorb the part of the blast directed at Belinda.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dutiful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dutiful
Adjective
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Mutual understanding of individual work styles fosters a more effective and respectful team environment.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
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Antetokounmpo seemed to take exception to the towel waving, perceiving it as taunting, and engaged in what seemed like a stern but respectful back-and-forth.—
Amos Morale III,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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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 Nov. 2024
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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,
19 Apr. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Dutiful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dutiful. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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