deference

[def-er-uhns]

noun

1. respectful submission or yielding to the judgment, opinion, will, etc., of another.

2. respectful or courteous regard.

   in deference to his wishes.

deference

/ ˈdɛfərəns /

noun

1. submission to or compliance with the will, wishes, etc, of another

2. courteous regard; respect

Other Word Forms

• nondeference noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of deference¹

1640–50; < French déf érence, Middle French, equivalent to defer ( er ) to defer ² + -ence -ence

Word History and Origins

Origin of deference¹

C17: from French déférence; see _defer ²

Example Sentences

He stands a head taller than the woman, but he regards her with a familial deference.

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Important men who might have expected from Eisman some sign of deference or respect, on the other hand, often came away from encounters with him shocked and outraged.

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There was no deference in her tone or body language.

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Congress delegated to the president the determination of what an emergency is, so a degree of deference to his judgment is in order.

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Still, out of deference to his wife, he mostly keeps his constructions confined to a single room downstairs.

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Related Words

• civility 
• courtesy 
• reverence