as in humbly
in a manner showing no signs of pride or self-assertion
behaved deferentially when approaching someone in authority
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Recent Examples of deferentially
Scorsese shoots them beautifully and deferentially.
—
Matt Weinstock, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026
Princess Bride is superbly planned and deferentially orchestrated — its theme fits its telling.
—Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
Matt Weinstock, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026
Princess Bride is superbly planned and deferentially orchestrated — its theme fits its telling.
—Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deferentially
Adverb
-
Our journey began humbly in 1983 with high-stakes bingo.—
Cody J Martinez,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The archbishop knocks on the door with a pastoral staff and humbly requests admission to the cathedral.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
25 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
My question is how to politely tell this man to stop.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Washington Post,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Over the course of the afternoon, guests laughed about, grappled with, and sometimes politely skirted around the same gendered tropes that have existed for centuries, the conversation turning serious in some moments and silly in others.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
22 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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Outwardly Smart behaved submissively, following her captors’ instructions while always looking for a way to escape.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Whether a man chose to use that pistol or meekly give up the money to a robber was up to him.—
Richard Selcer,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Apr. 2026
-
That was checkmate, as Martinez grounded out meekly to end the season.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Lateef sheepishly raked his hand through his hair.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Kayumi then appeared to sheepishly shrink in his chair.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deferentially.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deferentially. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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