as in deferent
marked by or showing proper regard for another's higher status
the children were remarkably respectful while in the president's office
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of respectful
Mitte has been with his girlfriend Kennedy Blaire since 2022.
10 of 12
Jesse Plemons (Todd Alquist)
Jesse Plemons played the polite, respectful, child-killing Todd.
—
Matt Cabral, EW.com, 20 Jan. 2025
Americans want the raw statistics surrounding an issue, without any editorializing, because facts seem like the basis of a rational, respectful conversation.
—Kurt Gray, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025
Team Norm Setting: Establish norms around respectful communication and emotional expression to reduce anger escalation.
—Scott Hutcheson, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
So smart, handsome, respectful, outgoing, caring, competitive, loving, talented & just an overall VIBE!
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for respectful 
Matt Cabral, EW.com, 20 Jan. 2025
Americans want the raw statistics surrounding an issue, without any editorializing, because facts seem like the basis of a rational, respectful conversation.
—Kurt Gray, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025
Team Norm Setting: Establish norms around respectful communication and emotional expression to reduce anger escalation.
—Scott Hutcheson, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
So smart, handsome, respectful, outgoing, caring, competitive, loving, talented & just an overall VIBE!
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for respectful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for respectful
Adjective
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The Ptolemaic model depicted planets moving around Earth in a big circle, known as a deferent, then going around a smaller circle while retrograding, called an epicycle.—
Carlie Procell,
USA TODAY,
25 Nov. 2024
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Curiously, the Biden administration sees it this way, too, but still takes a stance deferent to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s fierce advocacy for it and opposition to U.S. sanctions that would target European companies and individuals involved in its construction.—
Jimmy Quinn,
National Review,
20 July 2021
Adjective
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Upon arrival in Key West, the group exchanges polite greetings, but the underlying tension is palpable.—
Shelby Stewart,
Essence,
27 Jan. 2025
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If Trump lost McConnell on Hegseth, there is reason to think other Republican lawmakers might now look around and find good—and shrewd—company in the polite opposition.—
Philip Elliott,
TIME,
27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The presentation is restrained and reverent, but the flavors play together with dynamically on the tongue.—
Helen Rosner,
The New Yorker,
22 Dec. 2024
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More: Memorials honor Black Hawk crash victims with private family, Fort Campbell services The scene was controlled, quiet and reverent.—
Katie Nixon,
The Tennessean,
28 Mar. 2024
Adjective
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Just how deferential to Trump do voters want New York’s leaders to be?—
Donna Lieberman,
New York Daily News,
19 Jan. 2025
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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
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Cite this Entry
“Respectful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/respectful. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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