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Definition of "deferential" []

  • Marked by or exhibiting deference. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "deferential" in a sentence
  • "The word deferential seems like a negative for me, as though she was telling me I was passive, too quiet or not as strong as other supervisors."
  • "She composed her features into what she hoped was an expression of deferential alertness."
  • "He reached forward and, head bowed in deferential respect, he made so as to lift the holy book, and it yielded to his purity and righteousness, and opened for him."