Standard Lemma guide

deontic

adj · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

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

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  • /diːˈɒntɪk/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Pertaining to necessity, duty or obligation, or expressions conveying this.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: ethics, human-sciences, linguistics, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Ancient Greek δέον (déon, “what is right”); compare deontology.

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: deòntic — pertaining to necessity, duty or obligation
  • Dutch: deontisch — pertaining to necessity, duty or obligation
  • Finnish: deonttinen — pertaining to necessity, duty or obligation
  • French: déontique — pertaining to necessity, duty or obligation
  • Portuguese: deôntico — pertaining to necessity, duty or obligation