Dictionary.com

obedience

[ oh-bee-dee-uhns ]
/ oŹŠĖˆbi di əns /
Save This Word!

noun
the state or quality of being obedient.
the act or practice of obeying; dutiful or submissive compliance: Military service demands obedience from its members.
a sphere of authority or jurisdiction, especially ecclesiastical.
Chiefly Ecclesiastical.
  1. conformity to a monastic rule or the authority of a religious superior, especially on the part of one who has vowed such conformance.
  2. the rule or authority that exacts such conformance.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of obedience

1150ā€“1200; Middle English <Old French <Latin oboedientia.See obedient, -ence

OTHER WORDS FROM obedience

oĀ·verĀ·oĀ·beĀ·diĀ·ence, nounpreĀ·oĀ·beĀ·diĀ·ence, nounsuĀ·perĀ·oĀ·beĀ·diĀ·ence, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use obedience in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for obedience

obedience
/ (əĖˆbiĖdÉŖəns) /

noun
the condition or quality of being obedient
the act or an instance of obeying; dutiful or submissive behaviour
the authority vested in a Church or similar body
the collective group of persons submitting to this authoritySee also passive obedience
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK