respectful

adjective

ri-ˈspekt-fəl How to pronounce respectful (audio)
Definition of respectfulnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 respectful Mom isn’t her kids’ servant, and these types of expectations aren’t kind, fair, or respectful. — Parents, 28 Aug. 2026 Name the goal, define the next step, and keep the tone direct but respectful. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 25 Aug. 2026 Interactions between teachers and students and among students should be respectful, calm, and comfortable. — Jose Bolaños, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026 Trump is certain to get Miss Manners approval for saying the leader of North Korea has been respectful and unthreatening. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for respectful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for respectful
  1. deferent
  2. polite
  3. deferential
  4. reverent
Adjective
  • 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 Feb. 2026
  • And many advocates are promoting a vision of public health that’s less dependent on mandates and appeals to authority, and more deferent to individuals’ beliefs.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 4 Aug. 2025
Definition of deferent
Adjective
  • In other words, what happens when their agreeable or polite approach to attaining something doesn’t work?
    — Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Tell us about the crew From the waitstaff in the restaurants to the bartenders to the butler, the crew members were unfailingly polite and helpful.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of polite
Adjective
  • Carefully deferential to the star, Parton carved out a foothold for herself.
    — RJ Smith, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Conservatives desperately needed an alliance with a reliably deferential party that could win elections.
    — Duncan McCargo, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of deferential
Adjective
  • Around them, an aristocratic winemaker defines his legacy, a legendary maître d’hôtel seeks his heir, and a reverent wine critic pursues the sublime.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2026
  • These movies always run the risk of being overly reverent, and for better and worse, Johnson’s take on Bourdain’s formative years is not concerned with reverence.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of reverent

Browse Nearby Words

respected
respectful
respectfully
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Cite this Entry

“Respectful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/respectful. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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