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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of respectful
What sets me apart is my commitment to a new, respectful and non-partisan approach focused on productive discourse and real results for our community.
—
Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 13 Aug. 2025
Rules are also posted on the back of the signs at each event to ensure everyone is being respectful and not breaking any laws, Stone said.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 12 Aug. 2025
Those are his characters, but Tim was respectful of all the things about Paul that were so established.
—Simon Bland, IndieWire, 6 Aug. 2025
Strangers to one another, the two women build a quiet, respectful life together, though the reemergence of Betty’s estranged husband and son sheds light on the tragic past that explains the murky present.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for respectful
Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 13 Aug. 2025
Rules are also posted on the back of the signs at each event to ensure everyone is being respectful and not breaking any laws, Stone said.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 12 Aug. 2025
Those are his characters, but Tim was respectful of all the things about Paul that were so established.
—Simon Bland, IndieWire, 6 Aug. 2025
Strangers to one another, the two women build a quiet, respectful life together, though the reemergence of Betty’s estranged husband and son sheds light on the tragic past that explains the murky present.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for respectful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for respectful
Adjective
-
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
-
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
Adjective
-
Most of the time, generative AI has been tuned to be relatively polite and offers mild praise, though a user can easily up the ante by simply telling the AI to pour it on.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
2 Aug. 2025
-
There also were multiple paintings scattered throughout the fictional White House that poke fun at Trump’s military bravado as well as an image that seems to involve Trump and a sheep engaged in an activity not meant for polite company, not to mention that deepfake.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
30 July 2025
Adjective
-
News coverage, starting with correspondent Joan Rivers’ outrageous taunts and then shifting to a far more reverent tone from 2006 to 2021, when Ryan Seacrest joined Rancic for live news desk and awards show coverage.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
29 July 2025
-
His surviving works — just over 30 in all — form a kind of visual music or poetry: reverent, revelatory.—
Jerry Saltz,
Vulture,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
Alston also gave the Court an opportunity to clarify the NCAA is not owed a deferential standard of review on antitrust claims.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
31 Mar. 2025
-
Yet this week the president was notably deferential to his Israeli counterpart on questions about the future of Gaza.—
Ellen Mitchell,
The Hill,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Respectful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/respectful. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share