as in deferent
marked by or showing proper regard for another's higher status
the children were remarkably respectful while in the president's office
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Recent Examples of respectful
Your wedding outfit should also be respectful, shying away from overly revealing pieces.
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Shelby Wax, Vogue, 13 Dec. 2024
Some of them treat them kind of like servants, some of them are very respectful, and some of them make friends.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 11 Dec. 2024
Being direct, but respectful, sets a professional tone and ensures that the conversation doesn’t get bogged down by unnecessary small talk.
—Benjamin Laker, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
Maintaining a year-round focus on respectful culture and setting ground rules for political expression and exchange are key, experts tell Newsweek.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for respectful 
Shelby Wax, Vogue, 13 Dec. 2024
Some of them treat them kind of like servants, some of them are very respectful, and some of them make friends.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 11 Dec. 2024
Being direct, but respectful, sets a professional tone and ensures that the conversation doesn’t get bogged down by unnecessary small talk.
—Benjamin Laker, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
Maintaining a year-round focus on respectful culture and setting ground rules for political expression and exchange are key, experts tell Newsweek.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for respectful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for respectful
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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Curiously, the Biden administration sees it this way, too, but still takes a stance deferent to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s fierce advocacy for it and opposition to U.S. sanctions that would target European companies and individuals involved in its construction.Jimmy Quinn, National Review, 20 July 2021
Adjective
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The level of outward emotional expression here is simply kept at a level true to figures who may inwardly be reaching their boiling point, but are still held back by self-respect and polite manners.Dennis Harvey, Variety, 12 Dec. 2024
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Then Threads, which has a little bit of an issue of feeling kind of like LinkedIn and being very polite, but then has that benefit of Meta being able to push users from Instagram to Thread.Lauren Goode, WIRED, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Terry was among the most reverent of Fowler over the weekend.Andrew Knoll, Orange County Register, 17 Dec. 2024
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But while the performer known as V was, to the world, one of seven young men at the helm of the year’s most polished, cutting-edge wave of contemporary pop dominance, the artist who grew up Kim Tae-hyung was, in his personal life, a reverent fan of a much different genre: jazz.Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 6 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Malcolm’s directorial choices diverge from his father’s old-school creative sensibilities; the pacing is faster, the music more dramatic and less deferential to the story’s era.Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 10 Dec. 2024
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For folks who remain defiantly deferential to whiskies of the British Isles, that’s a serious wakeup call.Brad Japhe, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Respectful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/respectful. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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