OBEYED Synonyms: 72 Similar and Opposite Words

obeyed

verb

past tense of obey

as in followed

to act according to the commands of she taught her dog to obey her when she said "Sit!" most people obey the law and wear their seat belts

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of obeyed The man was carrying a knife, according to the affidavit, but obeyed the officers’ commands to drop the weapon. — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Oct. 2026 Arguably, most Russian elites have not obeyed the Kremlin out of deep loyalty or ideological alignment throughout Putin’s long reign. — Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2026 His wishes were largely obeyed — until the third Test in Soweto last weekend, where the home crowd whistled and cheered during the haka. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 The unassailability of the strength here must be obeyed or, at least, acknowledged. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2026 If the early universe obeyed this rule, our modern cosmos would be devoid of substance, just energy fields rippling eternally through emptiness. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 13 Aug. 2026 As her cabin took on water, Chloe Childress had obeyed Camp Mystic’s one directive to shelter in place. — Karen Valby, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026 Paradoxes and Doubt The late 1800s were a time of paradoxes and doubt, the result of mathematicians beginning to search for cohesive ideas about what rules the mathematical universe obeyed. — Quanta Magazine, 29 Apr. 2026 The direction – which was visibly obeyed – is nothing new for repeat attendees of Welch’s shows, who have endured the agony of a phone-free hand for two minutes. — Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for obeyed

Verb

Another 24 new releases are lined up for the rest of the year; most of them originals (20) followed by new seasons (3) and a saga.

— Annika Pham, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
What followed was a difficult stretch, with works by Cy Twombly, George Condo, Alberto Giacometti, and Lucian Freud among those failing to find buyers.

— Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of followed

Verb

It had been observed through a spotting scope for a couple of minutes and no photos were taken.

— Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Despite knowing about this relatively unusual anatomy for more than a century, nobody had ever observed it in action.

— Mike McRae October 12, New Atlas, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of observed

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obey

obeyed

obeying

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“Obeyed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obeyed. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of obeyed

verb

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