deferential

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.

“He could come across as self-effacing and deferential, but in Don’s skilled hands those were qualities that made him an enormously strong and effective leader,” Boccardi said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

In habeas doctrine, the danger has always been that federal review becomes so deferential that even substantial constitutional claims are transformed into sterile questions of state-court reasonableness.

From Slate • Apr. 10, 2026

But he added an "overly deferential" approach to engaging with them would "almost inevitably creates political challenges or missed positive opportunities".

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

"He was intensely serious but showed flashes of humour. He encouraged debate although his officers were deferential," Pike wrote in a 2019 book.

From Barron's • Jan. 12, 2026

I hear the voices, impersonal, deferential, and the window rolling electrically down and up for the passes to be shown.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood