deference

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Under this formulation, when a previous decision does not conform with history and tradition, stare decisis—the court’s deference to judicial precedent—is especially weak.

From Slate • Apr. 15, 2026

It is reading a cold transcript under a regime of extreme deference, where a claim that feels powerful can still founder if the justices conclude that Mississippi’s reading of the record was at least reasonable.

From Slate • Apr. 10, 2026

The case reached an appeals court, which applied a legal standard that granted commissioners significant deference.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026

There were, though, some concerns expressed about those conventions — and a sense from some that for too long custom had been the midwife of deference and that must change.

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026

In the same self-consciously jocular style he soon began to refer to his Quincy estate as “Montezillo,” which he claimed meant “very little mountain,” in deference to Jefferson’s Monticello, which meant “little mountain.”

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis