Meaning & use
deferential
Showing great respect for another person's wishes, authority, or opinion, often by yielding to them.
See it in a sentence
The new intern was deferential toward the senior partners during the meeting.
He spoke in a deferential tone whenever his grandmother offered advice.
A note on using this word
Deferential is generally positive, but taken too far it can shade into obsequious, which suggests excessive or insincere flattery.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
disrespectfulassertive
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