dutiful
adjective
du·ti·ful
ˈdü-ti-fəl 
also ˈdyü-
1
: filled with or motivated by a sense of duty
a dutiful child
2
: proceeding from or expressive of a sense of duty
a dutiful effort
Examples of dutiful in a Sentence
the dutiful way he took care of his sick mother
the family showed a dutiful deference to their minister when he came to dinner
Recent Examples on the Web
Ripken, an 8-year-old black lab whose TikTok and Instagram videos draw millions of views, is known for his dutiful retrieving of bats for the Durham Bulls.
—
Lucille Sherman, Axios, 13 Sep. 2024
As Margret, Sweeny is the dutiful wife to Daniel Bruhl’s war vet who seeks a better life on a remote Galapagos island.
—Natalie Sitek, Deadline, 7 Sep. 2024
Where so many directors fall back on the clumsy and dutiful inclusion of technology in their films, Yeo succeeds at crafting an original vision, building a film that is part-man, part machine.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2024
Ralph Fiennes does most of the heavy lifting here, playing Cardinal Lawrence, a dutiful and doubting man overseeing the vote for the next pope.
—Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dutiful 
Lucille Sherman, Axios, 13 Sep. 2024
As Margret, Sweeny is the dutiful wife to Daniel Bruhl’s war vet who seeks a better life on a remote Galapagos island.
—Natalie Sitek, Deadline, 7 Sep. 2024
Where so many directors fall back on the clumsy and dutiful inclusion of technology in their films, Yeo succeeds at crafting an original vision, building a film that is part-man, part machine.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2024
Ralph Fiennes does most of the heavy lifting here, playing Cardinal Lawrence, a dutiful and doubting man overseeing the vote for the next pope.
—Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dutiful
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dutiful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near dutiful
Cite this Entry
“Dutiful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dutiful. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dutiful
adjective
du·ti·ful
ˈd(y)üt-i-fəl
: having or showing a sense of duty
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