respectful
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of respectful
Explanation
If you’re respectful, you show consideration and regard for someone or something. Be respectful of your neighbors and turn down your disco music when it gets late. Respectful is the adjective form of the common word respect, which means a feeling of admiration. So when you behave in a way that’s respectful, you’re doing something to show admiration for another person. You might sit in respectful silence when your teacher enters the room. You can be respectful of situations as well as people. You might be respectful of the democratic process and not complain about not winning your school election.
Vocabulary lists containing respectful
List 1
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Workshop 4, Part 2
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Positive and Uplifting Tones
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“CROWN” stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, and these laws are supposed to stop discrimination against Black people who wear their hair in natural styles.
From Slate • Jan. 26, 2024
Respectful study of Lee’s campaigns has been a feature of U.S.
From Salon • Nov. 4, 2023
“It is our policy that all employees take anti harassment training, and moving forward we will be providing additional training within a patch of restaurants and to our Respectful Workplace Hotline team.”
From Seattle Times • Sep. 15, 2023
Selflessness is the first piece of the team’s S.P.A.R.K.S. acronym used to define the blueprint, followed by Preparation, Accountability, Respectful, Konnected and Smile.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2023
Respectful of, or indifferent to, the question of national territories, from the first moment it forbade conquest.
From History of the Girondists, Volume I Personal Memoirs of the Patriots of the French Revolution by Ryde, H. T.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
