Word: deference (noun)

Associations

Deference means showing respect or polite submission to someone else's opinion, wishes, or authority.

• At a meeting, you might show deference to your boss by listening carefully and agreeing politely.
• In a family, children often show deference to their parents by following their advice.
• In a courtroom, lawyers show deference to the judge’s decisions. A close synonym is "respect," but deference often implies a formal or polite yielding to someone’s judgment or position, not just general admiration.

Substitution

You can replace "deference" with:

• respect — more general, can be informal or formal.
• regard — similar but often less formal.
• submission — stronger, implies giving way or yielding, sometimes unwillingly. Using "respect" instead of "deference" might sound less formal or less about yielding.

Deconstruction

"Deference" comes from Latin "deferre," meaning "to carry away" or "to submit." It has the prefix "de-" (down, away) + "ferre" (to carry). So, deference literally means "carrying down" or "yielding," which fits its meaning of politely yielding to someone else’s authority or opinion.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a situation where you showed deference to someone? How did it feel?
• Is deference always necessary, or are there times when you should not show it?
• How is deference different from simply agreeing with someone?