obedience

[ oh-bee-dee-uhns ]

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.

   Synonyms: subservience, deference, submission

3. a sphere of authority or jurisdiction, especially ecclesiastical.
4. Chiefly Ecclesiastical.
   1. conformity to a monastic rule or the authority of a religious superior, especially on the part of one who has vowed such conformance.
   2. the rule or authority that exacts such conformance.

obedience

/ əˈbiːdɪəns /

noun

1. the condition or quality of being obedient
2. the act or an instance of obeying; dutiful or submissive behaviour
3. the authority vested in a Church or similar body
4. See passive obedience
   the collective group of persons submitting to this authority See also passive obedience

Other Words From

• over·o·bedi·ence noun
• preo·bedi·ence noun
• super·o·bedi·ence noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of obedience¹

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

Example Sentences

Perhaps most important, obedience to procedural norms is a sign of judicial humility.

From Vox

They can safely keep a mischievous puppy from chasing other animals or gnawing on the living-room furniture, provide an exercise space as a dog run, or help with obedience or anti-anxiety training.

From Popular-Science

That lack of obedience stressed out other owners and their pooches, and it proved vexing and occasionally fatal to wildlife.

From Outside Online

The Texans need to rebuild more than they need to make some point about obedience.

From Washington Post

When adhering to simple safety measures can save tens of thousands of American lives, wearing a mask is not an act of blind obedience, it is an act of patriotism.

From Vox

Such brutality will likely inspire fear and obedience among the overwhelmingly moderate Sunnis of Iraq, but not enthusiasm.

From The Daily Beast

“They stressed rules and obedience, Francis is emphatic about mercy,” Berry says.

From The Daily Beast

“The first website that really helped me understand what obedience to Allah was,” Loewen wrote.

From The Daily Beast

A timeless fairytale of true love and magical transformation would be reduced to a boring exercise in memorization and obedience.

From The Daily Beast

We knew that obedience was immediate, complete, and without question.

From The Daily Beast

And as she hesitated between obedience to one and duty toward the other, her life, her love and future was in the balance.

From Project Gutenberg

They threw down their weapons with sullen obedience and the first great step towards the re-conquest of India was taken.

From Project Gutenberg

The legal framework of the State and of obedience to the law in which industrial society is set threatens to break asunder.

From Project Gutenberg

On the part of the believer, his faith and imperfect obedience, though necessary, are not a condition.

From Project Gutenberg

The old dog stuck to her like a burr, and she had not the heart to take up a stick to enforce obedience.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• acquiescence
• conformity
• deference
• orderliness
• reverence