What does deference mean?
Deference is a noun meaning humble and respectful submission to the wishes, opinions, or judgement of someone else, typically accompanied by a willingness to yield rather than insist on one's own view. It can also refer to a specific courteous act — such as rising from one's seat, bowing, or allowing another to go first — that signals this respect. The word is formal in register and appears most often in contexts involving hierarchy or expertise: courts show deference to precedent, employees may show deference to senior colleagues, and guests may act with deference toward their hosts. Its connotation is usually positive, implying tact and good manners, though it can carry a critical edge when it suggests servility or an unwillingness to challenge authority. Common collocations include 'show deference to', 'pay deference to', and 'out of deference to'. Derived forms include the adjective 'deferential' and its adverb 'deferentially'.
nounPolite submission and respect toward the wishes, opinions, or judgement of another, often shown by yielding to them; also, a courteous gesture or act expressing such respect.
- Humble submission and respect for the wishes, opinions, or judgement of another person, shown by yielding to them or treating them as an authority.
- A courteous regard or gesture of respect, such as bowing or standing, offered to someone as a mark of honour.
"The junior minister spoke with evident deference to the chancellor's long experience in economic policy."
"Out of deference to her seniority, the committee allowed Professor Lane to speak first."
"The court showed unusual deference to the lower tribunal's findings, declining to revisit the factual record."
Rarely used in the plural; deference is almost always treated as an uncountable noun referring to an attitude or manner.
"The protocol officer catalogued the many deferences owed to visiting dignitaries."
Deference literally means 'carrying away' your own opinion to make room for someone else's.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of deference
Deference entered English in the early 17th century, borrowed from French déférence, which itself derives from the Latin verb deferre, formed from de- ('down, away') plus ferre ('to carry'). The underlying sense is that of carrying one's judgement or will over to another person, yielding to them. It shares this Latin root ferre with related English borrowings such as confer, refer, and transfer, and it is directly connected to the verb defer in the sense 'to submit to another's opinion'.
Related word forms
How deference is actually used
Deference is a formal word, common in legal, diplomatic, academic, and workplace writing. It carries a neutral-to-positive connotation when describing courtesy, but can imply excessive submissiveness if the deference is judged unwarranted. The phrase 'with all due deference' is sometimes used ironically in British English to preface a polite disagreement.
Easily confused with deference
'Difference' means a point or way in which people or things are not the same, while 'deference' means respectful submission to another's wishes — the words look similar but are entirely unrelated in meaning.