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.

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

Ellison wanted to keep Sheridan in the fold but felt the previous regime was too deferential, a person familiar with his thinking said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2025

In point of fact, Pocock, with only a lower- school education, tended to believe that it was he rather than these college men who should be deferential.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown