Deference
What It Means
Deference refers to respect and esteem that is appropriate to show to someone, such as a superior or elder. Something done in deference to, or out of deference to, someone or something is done in order to show respect for the opinions or influence of that person or thing.
// The children were taught to show proper deference to their elders.
// In deference to those who voted against the change, we’ll be having another meeting to discuss how we can mitigate people’s concerns.
DEFERENCEÂ in Context
“The new bridge over the Colorado River linking Bullhead City and Laughlin officially has a name. It will be called Silver Copper Crossing…. The formal name was chosen in deference to the two states the bridge connects: Nevada is the Silver State and Arizona is the Copper State.” — Bill McMillen, Mohave Valley Daily News (Bullhead City, Arizona), 21 May 2024
Did You Know?
As you might have guessed, deference is related to the verb defer, meaning “to delegate” or “to submit to another’s wishes.” But we need to be specific when we tell you that both these words come from the Medieval Latin verb dÄ“ferre, which means “to convey, show respect, or submit to a decision,” because there are two defers in the English language. The defer related to deference is typically used with to in contexts having to do either with allowing someone else to decide or choose something, as in “I’ll defer to the dictionary,” or with agreeing to follow someone else’s decision, wish, etc., as when a court defers to precedent. The other defer traces to the Latin verb differre, meaning “to carry away in varying directions, spread abroad, postpone, delay, be unlike or distinct.” That defer is typically used in contexts having to do with delaying or postponing something, as in “a willingness to defer the decision until next month.”
Merriam Webster Dictionary
