as in respectful
marked by or showing proper regard for another's higher status
the family showed a dutiful deference to their minister when he came to dinner
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Recent Examples of dutiful
Like that dutiful mastiff, this Urus is happiest when let off the leash.
—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
17 June 2026
Uranus is shaking your dutiful sixth house of work, health, habits and responsibility, while the North Node activates your third house of communication and everyday choices.
—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
The poem contrasts this process with dutiful, dry record-keeping, which is more faithful to what’s known but evokes less of what’s not.
—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
And in this rote, dutiful steadiness, I was struck by the patient sincerity of it all—and by a sense that these believers were already fomenting, in admittedly small numbers, the kind of unity that Esperanto’s skeptics say the language could never help facilitate.
—
Katie Thornton,
Harpers Magazine,
26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for dutiful
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
17 June 2026
Uranus is shaking your dutiful sixth house of work, health, habits and responsibility, while the North Node activates your third house of communication and everyday choices.
—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
The poem contrasts this process with dutiful, dry record-keeping, which is more faithful to what’s known but evokes less of what’s not.
—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
And in this rote, dutiful steadiness, I was struck by the patient sincerity of it all—and by a sense that these believers were already fomenting, in admittedly small numbers, the kind of unity that Esperanto’s skeptics say the language could never help facilitate.
—
Katie Thornton,
Harpers Magazine,
26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for dutiful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dutiful
Adjective
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When asked specifically about religion, the models provide neutral, respectful replies, Wingate said.
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Review a bill, then send a polite message that clarifies terms, because simple words protect value and invite respectful responses.
Adjective
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And many advocates are promoting a vision of public health that’s less dependent on mandates and appeals to authority, and more deferent to individuals’ beliefs.
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The Ptolemaic model depicted planets moving around Earth in a big circle, known as a deferent, then going around a smaller circle while retrograding, called an epicycle.
Cite this Entry
“Dutiful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dutiful. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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