Loading page
deference has 6 distinct synonyms spread across 3 of its 3 senses. Each sense below keeps its own list, because a synonym belongs to a meaning and not to a word: swapping one sense's substitute into another sense's sentence is how a thesaurus makes writing worse. WordNet records no antonym for it — antonymy is a relation between word forms rather than concepts, so it is deliberately sparse.
Counts are distinct word forms across every sense. A synonym that appears under three senses is counted once here and shown three times below, under each sense it belongs to.
a courteous expression (by word or deed) of esteem or regard
“his deference to her wishes was very flattering”
courteous regard for people's feelings
“in deference to your wishes”
a disposition or tendency to yield to the will of others
Synonyms, antonyms and the broader and narrower relations for deference come from Princeton University’s WordNet. Full sources and licences.