How to Use obedient in a Sentence

obedient

adjective
  • The dog must be obedient to his owner, the child to his parents.
    — Hebe Uhart, The New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2023
  • Give your dog time during the day to have fun, but also have their obedient time too.
    — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, 13 Oct. 2021
  • They were taught to be obedient and submissive, even as they were abused.
    — Scott D. Pierce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 3 June 2022
  • Few other artists have displayed such nerve, or been less obedient.
    — Sasha Weiss Sasha Weiss Photographs By Justin French Nick Haramis Photographs By Lise Sarfati Styled By Suzanne Koller Adam Bradley Photographs By D’angelo Lovell Williams Styled By Ian Bradley Susan Dominus Photographs By Luis Alberto Rodriguez Styled By Charlotte Collet, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2022
  • My horse remained calm and obedient.
    — Cindy Cowen, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Dec. 2025
  • The Goskis tried to raise the twins—obedient, as young boys—with a firm yet loving hand.
    — Michael M. Phillips, WSJ, 23 Sep. 2017
  • The waves, ever obedient to their gusty master, built to about 3 feet.
    — Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 15 June 2019
  • Regardless of how obedient a dog is, make sure local leash laws are obeyed.
    — Jackalyn Beck, chicagotribune.com, 23 Mar. 2021
  • Of course, anyone who meets the gentle, obedient boy would never call him that.
    — Bebe Hodges, The Enquirer, 11 Nov. 2024
  • Dressed in a white kimono-style top and pants, Mary is focused and obedient.
    — Sharon Broussard, cleveland.com, 22 Jan. 2018
  • Anyone who meets the gentle, obedient boy would never call him that.
    — Bebe Hodges, USA TODAY, 15 Nov. 2024
  • Their uniform of space-goth clothes was as obedient as the Rajneesh’s red.
    — Jacob Gallagher, WSJ, 2 Apr. 2018
  • The wary and vicious wolf becomes the friendly and obedient dog.
    — John Morrissey, Quartz, 11 Dec. 2019
  • Jesus had free will and made the decision to be obedient to the will of God.
    — baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 23 Apr. 2021
  • Joyanna is an obedient pet who enjoys the outdoors and rolling around in the grass.
    — Tristan Balagtas, PEOPLE.com, 29 Dec. 2021
  • The collective, obedient boogey-ing that followed cracked me up.
    — Jenny McCoy, SELF, 9 July 2018
  • What’s even worse is that the work doesn’t go forward because the theaters are way too obedient to these critics.
    — Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2020
  • Second, victims of higher taxes don’t stand still and get sheared like obedient sheep.
    — Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
  • Ever obedient, Silvia finds a restroom and pees on the stick.
    — Jennifer Haigh, New York Times, 29 June 2018
  • The thick-rimmed helm of our test car felt light and obedient in the default setting but firm and direct in the sportier modes.
    — Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 13 Dec. 2017
  • But the horse, a noble animal obedient to one’s hands and legs, only receives a pat on the back.
    — Washington Post, 9 July 2019
  • But the prophet Elisha, obedient to God’s law, knew better.
    — Lisa Rennie Sytsma, Christian Science Monitor, 20 June 2025
  • The audience would do well to stay attuned to this goal — and how obedient Nat is willing to be.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
  • And if the response is lagging, the car is obedient enough once the front wheels have been pointed in the right direction.
    — Car and Driver, 17 Apr. 2020
  • Her son, Navaraj, is obedient and dutiful.
    — Jessica Vantine Birkenholtz, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
  • Ephraim is wary at first, then obedient, then angry; what does all this busywork serve, other than Thomas’s own ego?
    — Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 17 Oct. 2019
  • The video begins with a woman standing in the middle of the room, the obedient golden sitting at her feet.
    — Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Nov. 2025
  • If your canine companion isn't already obedient, start with the basics, such as come, down, sit, and stay.
    — Lauren Corona, chicagotribune.com, 22 Feb. 2021
  • There was nothing for the obedient 14-year-old Gideon to do but comply and commit.
    — Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 27 Feb. 2021
  • My son’s family has a dog of their own (a very obedient animal) and didn’t want to add to their little boy’s trauma.
    — Amy Dickinson, chicagotribune.com, 6 May 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'obedient.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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