noun
Meaning 1
Great respect.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
- The children treated their elders with deference.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
deference
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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UK: /ˈdɛfəɹəns/
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General-American: /ˈdɛ.fɚ.əns/
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General-American: /ˈdɛ.fɹəns/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɛfəɹəns
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CMU ARPABET: D EH1 F ER0 AH0 N S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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CMU ARPABET 2: D EH1 F R AH0 N S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
The willingness to carry out the wishes of others.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
- By tidying his room, he showed deference to his mother.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
a courteous expression (by word or deed) of esteem or regard
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- his deference to her wishes was very flattering
- be sure to give my respects to the dean
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: respect
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: politeness, civility
Narrower terms: court, homage, last respects, props
noun
Meaning 4
a disposition or tendency to yield to the will of others
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: complaisance, compliance, compliancy, obligingness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: agreeableness, agreeability
noun
Meaning 5
courteous regard for people's feelings
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- in deference to your wishes
- out of respect for his privacy
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: respect, respectfulness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: courtesy, good manners
History
Etymology
From French déférence. Morphologically defer + -ence.
Across languages
Translations
59 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: почит (počit) — great respect
- Catalan: deferència — great respect
- Chinese Cantonese: 尊敬 (zyun1 ging3) — great respect
- Chinese Cantonese: 敬重 (ging3 zung6) — great respect
- Danish: ærbødighed — great respect
- Dutch: eerbied — great respect
- Esperanto: respektego — great respect
- Finnish: kunnioitus — great respect
- Finnish: arvonanto — great respect
- French: respect — great respect
- French: déférence — great respect
- German: Ehrerbietung — great respect
- German: Respekt — great respect
- German: Achtung — great respect
- Greek: σεβασμός (sevasmós) — great respect
- Hungarian: hódolat — great respect
- Irish: ómós — great respect
- Italian: deferenza — great respect
- Māori: kauanuanu — great respect
- Māori: ngākau whakaute — great respect
- Polish: szacunek — great respect
- Polish: atencja — great respect
- Polish: atentacja — great respect
- Portuguese: deferência — great respect
- Romanian: deferență — great respect
- Russian: уваже́ние (uvažénije) — great respect
- Russian: почте́ние (počténije) — great respect
- Russian: почита́ние (počitánije) — great respect
- Russian: респе́кт (respékt) — great respect
- Serbo-Croatian: pokornost — great respect
- Serbo-Croatian: uvažavanje — great respect
- Serbo-Croatian: respekt — great respect
- Spanish: deferencia — great respect
- Swedish: aktning — great respect
- Swedish: vördnad — great respect
- Swedish: respekt — great respect
- Thai: ความเคารพ (kwaam-kao-róp) — great respect
- Turkish: hürmet — great respect
- Bulgarian: отстъпка (otstǎpka) — the willingness to carry out the wishes of others
- Bulgarian: съобразяване (sǎobrazjavane) — the willingness to carry out the wishes of others
- Chinese Cantonese: 服從 /服从 (fuk6 cong4) — the willingness to carry out the wishes of others
- Dutch: bereidwilligheid — the willingness to carry out the wishes of others
- Esperanto: submetiĝo — the willingness to carry out the wishes of others
- Finnish: suostuvaisuus — the willingness to carry out the wishes of others
- Finnish: kunnioitus — the willingness to carry out the wishes of others
- French: déférence — the willingness to carry out the wishes of others
- Greek: σεβασμός (sevasmós) — the willingness to carry out the wishes of others
- Ido: deferenceso — the willingness to carry out the wishes of others
- Italian: deferenza — the willingness to carry out the wishes of others
- Polish: posłuszeństwo — the willingness to carry out the wishes of others
- Portuguese: deferência — the willingness to carry out the wishes of others
- Romanian: deferență — the willingness to carry out the wishes of others
- Russian: послуша́ние (poslušánije) — the willingness to carry out the wishes of others
- Russian: поко́рность (pokórnostʹ) — the willingness to carry out the wishes of others
- Russian: усту́пчивость (ustúpčivostʹ) — the willingness to carry out the wishes of others
- Serbo-Croatian: pokornost — the willingness to carry out the wishes of others
- Serbo-Croatian: poslušnost — the willingness to carry out the wishes of others
- Swedish: hänsyn — the willingness to carry out the wishes of others
- Tagalog: pagiging masunurin — the willingness to carry out the wishes of others