obedience

noun

ō-ˈbē-dē-ən(t)s How to pronounce obedience (audio)
Definition of obediencenext
1
as in submission
a bending to the authority or control of another the drill sergeant demanded complete and unquestioning obedience from the recruits

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2
as in submissiveness
a readiness or willingness to yield to the wishes of others the cowardly obedience with which the dictator's henchmen followed his every command

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3
as in adherence
the following of a custom, rule, or law expectations of strict obedience to the guidelines were soon dashed

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of obedience In dog sports like obedience or agility, handlers are in charge, but in barn hunt, the dog is the team captain, said Robin Nuttall, who started the barn hunt in 2012 to prove that her miniature pinscher, Zipper, could root out vermin as she had been bred to do. — Ross Mantle, New York Times, 21 May 2026 Eid al-Adha is one of the holiest days in Islam and commemorates the Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to God before God provided an animal to sacrifice instead. — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 31 May 2026 For example, a pet owner who doesn't have to absorb the full costs of a $5,000 emergency surgery bill may be better positioned to continue purchasing high-quality food, maintaining regular dental cleanings or enrolling in obedience classes afterward. — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 15 June 2026 Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice, commemorates the prophet Abraham, a figure central to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, for his willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God. — Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 14 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for obedience
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obedience
  1. submission
  2. submissiveness
  3. adherence
  4. compliance
  5. acquiescence
  6. conformity
  7. surrender
  8. docility
Noun
  • The statement amounted to a complete submission to Thomas, who used her Tuesday media availability to blast Engelbert.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026
  • With three different categories, judges from across the USA TODAY Network ranked each submission in order to narrow down the contest to just 30 finalists.
    — Krista Johnson, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Definition of submission
Noun
  • Attraction is a function of parentage and looks and submissiveness.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 May 2026
  • But for Coles, his indoctrination to law enforcement has been a different level of submissiveness.
    — Dan Pompei, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025
Definition of submissiveness
Noun
  • As a result of Holzman’s advocacy and Dylan’s example, the singer-songwriter movement was born, once again proving that American music is defined not by its adherence to the past, but by its capacity for reinvention.
    — Ted Olson, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
  • All loans are subject to individual approval and adherence to underwriting guidelines.
    — Dan Avery, CNBC, 1 July 2026
Definition of adherence
Noun
  • Treat cybersecurity as an investment in economic competitiveness and national resilience, not simply regulatory compliance.
    — Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
  • Faced with a national IT compliance mandate, Sapporo’s city government needed to modernize over one million lines of legacy code, which Kaplan estimated would have normally taken 200 engineering months of work.
    — Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 3 July 2026
Definition of compliance
Noun
  • Less money coming into government coffers also means fewer goodies for the population of Moscow, whose acquiescence Putin desperately needs.
    — Phillips Payson O’Brien, The Atlantic, 30 June 2026
  • But the balance of risks has changed Europe’s era of acquiescence is over.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 22 June 2026
Definition of acquiescence
Noun
  • Frontman and mastermind Matt Bellamy returns to his longstanding theme of the endless search for something pure and real in a world of conformity, hypocrisy and alienation.
    — Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 28 June 2026
  • Determined to understand what is really going on, two teenagers begin an investigation that leads them to challenge the invaders, their town’s conformity and their own uncertainties.
    — Kevin Giraud, Variety, 25 June 2026
Definition of conformity
Noun
  • Bank in, low block, surrender possession, everyone behind the ball, defend for your lives, play on the counter, hope for a set piece — there’s nothing wrong with any of that.
    — Stuart James, New York Times, 5 July 2026
  • Hingham is the birthplace of Major General Benjamin Lincoln — George Washington’s second-in-command, who famously accepted the British surrender at Yorktown — and home to the direct ancestors of Abraham Lincoln.
    — Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 4 July 2026
Definition of surrender
Noun
  • Carlson-Wee introduces himself to Wood with the sweet docility of a young boy meeting his hero.
    — Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 17 Mar. 2026
  • The same goes for docility, often characterized as a near neighbor of meekness.
    — Timothy J. Pawl, The Conversation, 23 Feb. 2026
Definition of docility

Browse Nearby Words

obdurateness
obedience
obediences
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Cite this Entry

“Obedience.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obedience. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on obedience

Nglish: Translation of obedience for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about obedience

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