obedience

[ oh-bee-dee-uhns ]
See synonyms for obedience on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the state or quality of being obedient.

  2. the act or practice of obeying; dutiful or submissive compliance: Military service demands obedience from its members.

  1. a sphere of authority or jurisdiction, especially ecclesiastical.

  2. Chiefly Ecclesiastical.

    • conformity to a monastic rule or the authority of a religious superior, especially on the part of one who has vowed such conformance.

    • the rule or authority that exacts such conformance.

Origin of obedience

1
1150–1200; Middle English <Old French <Latin oboedientia.See obedient, -ence

Other words for obedience

Other words from obedience

  • o·ver·o·be·di·ence, noun
  • pre·o·be·di·ence, noun
  • su·per·o·be·di·ence, noun

Words Nearby obedience

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use obedience in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for obedience

obedience

/ (əˈbiːdɪəns) /


noun
  1. the condition or quality of being obedient

  2. the act or an instance of obeying; dutiful or submissive behaviour

  1. the authority vested in a Church or similar body

  2. the collective group of persons submitting to this authority: See also passive obedience

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012