obedience

noun

obe·​di·​ence ō-ˈbē-dē-ən(t)s 

ə-

1

a

: an act or instance of obeying

b

: the quality or state of being obedient

Children should learn obedience and respect for authority.

2

: a sphere of jurisdiction

landowners within the king's obedience

especially : an ecclesiastical or sometimes secular dominion

under the obedience of the Bishop of Rome

Synonyms

• compliance
• conformity
• submission
• subordination

Examples of obedience in a Sentence

the drill sergeant demanded complete and unquestioning obedience from the recruits

the cowardly obedience with which the dictator's henchmen followed his every command

Recent Examples on the Web

According to the non-fiction author and blogger Leanna Mae, who herself is Apostolic Pentecostal, refusing to cut hair is an act of obedience to the scriptures. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2024

Ferrara bought a metric ton of tapeworm props, hired a scene-stealing Meg Tilly and showed us that, even in docile peacetime, demands of obedience and conformity can be seamlessly co-opted by evil forces, leaving us with zero options of how to live outside their control. —Rory Doherty, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024

Ensure commands are paired with rewards or positive experiences to encourage obedience. —Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024

Democrats specifically held out hope that Utah's religious culture of obedience would weigh on voters' reaction to the Jan. 6, 2021 riot and Trump's felony convictions, driving down Republican support. —Erin Alberty, Axios, 25 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin oboedientia "act of obeying" (Medieval Latin also, "sphere of jurisdiction"), noun derivative of oboedient-, oboedient obedient

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing obedience

• in obedience

Kids Definition

obedience

noun

obe·​di·​ence ō-ˈbēd-ē-ən(t)s 

ə-

1

: an act or instance of obeying

2

: the quality or state of being obedient