Crossword clues for deference
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Deference \Def"er*ence\, n. [F. d['e]f['e]rence. See 3d Defer.] A yielding of judgment or preference from respect to the wishes or opinion of another; submission in opinion; regard; respect; complaisance.
Deference to the authority of thoughtful and sagacious
men.
--Whewell.
Deference is the most complicate, the most indirect,
and the most elegant of all compliments.
--Shenstone.
Syn: Deference, Reverence, Respect.
Usage: Deference marks an inclination to yield one's opinion, and to acquiesce in the sentiments of another in preference to one's own. Respect marks the estimation that we have for another, which makes us look to him as worthy of high confidence for the qualities of his mind and heart. Reverence denotes a mingling of fear with a high degree of respect and esteem. Age, rank, dignity, and personal merit call for deference; respect should be paid to the wise and good; reverence is due to God, to the authors of our being, and to the sanctity of the laws.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1640s, from French déférence (16c.), from déférer (see defer (v.2)).
Wiktionary
n. 1 Great respect. 2 The willingness to carry out the wishes of others.
WordNet
n. a courteous expression (by word or deed) of esteem or regard; "his deference to her wishes was very flattering"; "be sure to give my respects to the dean" [syn: respect]
courteous regard for people's feelings; "in deference to your wishes"; "out of respect for his privacy" [syn: respect, respectfulness]
a disposition or tendency to yield to the will of others [syn: complaisance, compliance, compliancy, obligingness]
Wikipedia
Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior out of respect or reverence. Deference has been studied extensively by political scientists, sociologists, and psychologists.
Usage examples of "deference".
Jefferson may well have been the choice of the committee and out of deference or natural courtesy, he may well have offered Adams the honor.
Accordingly, Maclay treated Adams with feigned deference, hating every moment of it, as he wrote in his journal.
Even then he had learned that an anchorman must be handled as delicately as a Ming vase and receive the deference accorded heads of state.
In deference to all this, the Monterey police had let it be known that they would receive the Angels in a spirit of armed truce.
As always, he talked in the broad, flowery language of the antismoking lobby, but was polite enough to tread carefully around words like evil and murder in deference to my genealogy.
He had exhumed his pipe and was pretending to puff on it in deference to all the new antismoking rules.
Colonel Baraka had been kind and polite and had treated Chiun with the utmost respect and deference.
For every landed baron, there appeared to be a couple of court barons, which meant there were dozens of squires, pages and other servants hurrying from one place to another, each wearing a mark or badge which he considered worthy of deference, but which was summarily ignored by everyone around him.
Nevertheless, notwithstanding his absentmindedness, he was never too much absorbed to maintain toward Celestina an old-fashioned deference very appealing to one accustomed to being ignored and slighted.
Theophilus accompanied him, but in deference to Chatti feelings he quietly absorbed conversations without speaking.
Esk taking the first watch and Chex the last, in deference to the amount of time she had spent the prior night.
Selene saw that most of the tall windows were open in deference to the heat, even on the dormered fourth floor.
The child moved to the druidess, bent, poured wine into the goblet, her head bowed in polite deference.
In spite of the light brown dustcoat and leather-leggings which he wore in deference to his rustic surroundings, I had no difficulty in recognizing Lestrade, of Scotland Yard.
As he and Geoffrey climbed out, a Hoka bobby complete with blue uniform and bulging helmet saluted them with great deference.