deferential

«deferential» in Mova's school dictionary: Showing great respect and politeness to someone, often by… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

adjective (deferential; more deferential)

meaning for a pupil

Showing great respect and politeness to someone, often by agreeing with them or letting them decide: «a deferential bow». tree →

sense in the lessons

In history and stories, servants, courtiers and citizens are deferential to kings, lords and important people; they bow, curtsey and speak politely. In everyday life, being deferential to elders and teachers is polite, but being too deferential (always agreeing) can stop people speaking up when something is wrong. In ethics lessons, pupils discuss when respect turns into fear. Phrases: «deferential to», «deferential tone», «overly deferential».

examples

• The butler was deferential to everyone in the house. tree →
• She spoke in a deferential tone to the head teacher. tree →
• The knights gave a deferential bow to the queen. tree →
• The young doctor was too deferential to question the surgeon's mistake. tree →
• In some cultures, children are expected to be deferential to older relatives. tree →
• His deferential manner made the visitors feel important. tree →

note

Said «def-uh-REN-shul». Comes from «defer to» (to let someone else decide, out of respect) and «deference» (respect). Different from «different» and «differential». Similar: respectful, polite, humble; the opposite: disrespectful, rude, cheeky.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «deferential» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.