deferential.

Showing respect by yielding to another person's judgment, status, or wishes.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• deferential manner
• deferential tone

On the page

His deferential tone concealed how firmly he intended to refuse.

She remained deferential to the surgeon without surrendering her questions.

Usage notes

Primary category: psychological / character. Forms: Comparative more deferential; superlative most deferential where gradation is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.