dutiful

[ doo-tuh-fuhl, dyoo- ]

/ ˈdu tə fəl, ˈdyu- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dutiful ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

performing the duties expected or required of one; characterized by doing one's duty: a dutiful citizen; a dutiful child.

required by duty; proceeding from or expressive of a sense of duty: dutiful attention.

Nearby words

dutchman's-breeches, dutchman's-pipe, dutchwoman, duteous, dutiable, dutiful, dutton, duty, duty bound, duty officer, duty to retreat

Origin of dutiful

First recorded in 1545–55; duty + -ful

SYNONYMS FOR dutiful

1 respectful, docile, submissive, duteous.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dutiful ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

du·ti·ful·ly, adverbqua·si-du·ti·ful, adjectivequa·si-du·ti·ful·ly, adverbun·du·ti·ful, adjective

un·du·ti·ful·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dutiful

She appeared at his side, impish smile in place, dutiful, fragrantly rather than ferociously sexy, and—frustratingly—an adjunct.
How Can Katie Holmes Escape Tom Cruise—and ‘Dawson’s Creek’?|Tim Teeman|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ibrahim made clear to Deputy Dennis Meyer that his daughter was a respectful and dutiful girl of Sudanese extraction.
How ISIS’s Colorado Girls Were Caught|Michael Daly|October 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Revered and dutiful, he fought (and was injured) in World War II, and succeeded to the tile in 1953.
For Sale: The $3M British Mountain—With Aristocratic Family Feud Included|Tom Sykes|August 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But this detachment gives the biography a dutiful, going-through-the-motions tone.
Clare Boothe Luce's Vapid Second Act|Wendy Smith|July 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It is home to Papa Pilgrim, a literal-minded, self-fashioned prophet; his wife, Country Rose; and their 15 dutiful children.
This Week’s Hot Reads, July 15, 2013|Sarah Stodola, Jen Vafidis, Damaris Colhoun|July 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Save for this wild fancy of going to the Dauphin she hath ever been most dutiful.
Joan of Arc|Lucy Foster Madison
Mr. Starkweather made a dutiful struggle to be joyous about it, and succeeded only in producing a feeble smirk.
Rope|Holworthy Hall
This dutiful son laid down his pencil and effected a stiffly vertical attitude.
The Fiend's Delight|Dod Grile
I know that I am your son, and I want to be dutiful, but I have my own individuality as well.
Michael|E. F. Benson
Spare the feelings of your dutiful parents, and get home in Christianable time.'
The Pillars of the House, Vol. I (of 2)|Charlotte M. Yonge

British Dictionary definitions for dutiful

dutiful

/ (ˈdjuːtɪfʊl) /

adjective

exhibiting or having a sense of duty

characterized by or resulting from a sense of dutya dutiful answer

Derived Forms

dutifully, adverbdutifulness, noun

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

dutiful

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of dutiful

SYNONYMS FOR dutiful

Related forms

Examples from the Web for dutiful

British Dictionary definitions for dutiful

dutiful

adjective

Derived Forms