Synonyms of deferential

deferential

adjective

ˌde-fə-ˈren-chəl 

as in respectful

marked by or showing proper regard for another's higher status

the man had the deferential attitude of someone who had been a servant his entire life

Synonyms & Similar Words

• respectful
• deferent
• regardful
• dutiful
• polite
• reverent
• civil
• gracious
• worshipful
• reverential
• obsequious
• servile
• grovelling
• sycophantic
• hagiographical
• fawning
• courteous
• subservient
• venerating
• hagiographic
• kowtowing
• toadying
• genuflecting
• groveling
• kid-glove
• kid-gloved

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• disrespectful
• offensive
• abusive
• insulting
• demeaning
• derogatory
• contemptuous
• undutiful
• disparaging
• scornful
• irreverent
• impudent
• insolent
• rude
• depreciatory
• depreciative
• discourteous
• uncivil
• belittling

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of deferential

People have occasionally challenged their inclusion on such lists, but courts have been broadly deferential to government claims of national security. —Byron Tau, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025

Absent such a definition, courts historically have been quite deferential to a president’s determination that an emergency exists. —Elizabeth Goitein, TIME, 23 Jan. 2025

Just how deferential to Trump do voters want New York’s leaders to be? —Donna Lieberman, New York Daily News, 19 Jan. 2025

The Supreme Court's conservative majority has historically been highly deferential to the government's position on matters of national security, but the justices are also likely to be cautious about a precedent-setting decision that could silence a wildly popular communication tool. —Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 10 Jan. 2025