deference
DEF-er-uhns
/ˈdefərəns/
Humble submission and respect.
Yielding to the judgment, opinion, or wishes of another out of respect for their age, position, or authority.
The story behind the word. Deference comes from the Latin deferre, meaning 'to carry down' or 'to bring before.' In legal terms, it meant referring a decision to a higher authority. By the 17th century, it evolved to mean yielding one's own opinion to someone else's out of respect for their superior wisdom or status.
Word relationships
- respect: Respect is a general feeling of deep admiration, while deference is the active yielding or submitting to another's wishes or authority out of respect.
- defiance: Defiance is open resistance or bold disobedience.
Commonly confused with
- difference: Difference is a state of being unlike, while deference is respectful submission.
Word family
- defer (verb): To submit humbly to a person's wishes or qualities.
- deferential (adjective): Showing deference; respectful.
Collocations
- show deference
- out of deference to
- treat with deference
Example sentences
- "He addressed the judge with deep deference, bowing his head slightly." Showing respect to authority
Memory hook
Think of 'defer'. When you defer a decision to your boss, you are showing deference to their authority. Defer to show deference.
When not to use
Do not confuse with 'difference' (dissimilarity).
Fun facts
- The verb 'defer' can mean both 'to postpone' (from Latin differre) and 'to yield out of respect' (from Latin deferre). They are etymological cousins that collided in English!
Explore more words
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.