deference

C2+ Topic:Mind & Cognition
US /ˈdɛfərəns/ UK /ˈdefərəns/
noun

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    respectful submission to another's judgment or wishes

    Out of deference to elders, she stayed silent.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
Word family
Derived forms deferentdeferential

Etymology

From French déférence, from déférer ('to submit, refer'), from Latin deferre ('to carry down, refer'), from de- ('down') + ferre ('to carry, bear').

View etymology graph ->

Topics

markdown

Send feedback

Optional — only if you'd like a reply.