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respectful

respectful

150 1.1
Being polite and showing admiration for someone
  • adjective
  • /rɪˈspɛkftfəl/
translation icon : respetuoso
  • Being respectful to your elders shows good manners and consideration.
  • mutually respectful
  • a respectful relationship
  • a respectful distance

So you have to be respectful of them, but persistent.

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Examples

  • Coach, I want to be respectful of your time.

  • The cops have to be fair and respectful to the community.

  • But you know, keep it, keep it respectful and kind to each other, OK?

  • So, you know, it's just about being respectful and being kind.

  • And they actually ended up having this very respectful conversation.

  • You could be a little more respectful, sir.

  • Agency personnel who were pleasant and respectful did make a difference under these circumstances.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Her offer of assistance was met with respectful thanks and a quick refusal.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • To be a good scientist, you must have a respectful awe for the laws of nature.

  • Roselyn stated that a way of caring for her students was to be respectful to them.

    Academic text (2008)

Synonyms

civil
vsrespectful
585 3.9

Polite but not friendly or warm

is broader and can include genuine admiration or heartfelt deference
polite
vsrespectful
329 1.0

Showing good manners and respect to other people

includes deeper admiration and deference beyond surface manners
considerate
vsrespectful
68 2.5

Showing care for other people's needs and feelings

also involves showing admiration or formal deference, not just thoughtfulness
courteous
vsrespectful
43 3.7

Polite and respectful when you speak or behave

shows admiration and formal deference beyond mere manners
deferential
vsrespectful
  • Formal
10 6.6

Being respectful and polite to someone because they are older or have more experience

expresses general admiration rather than mainly submitting to authority
reverential
vsrespectful
3 7.6

Showing deep respect and awe

is more general, covering normal admiration and polite attention rather than awe
mannerly
vsrespectful
1 4.1

Polite and behaving well around other people

adds genuine admiration and consideration beyond following etiquette
regardful
vsrespectful
1 7.7

Respectful and careful about other people's feelings

adds explicit admiration and formal deference alongside that attentiveness
deferent
vsrespectful
  • Formal
7.7

Respectful and willing to accept other people's opinions

expresses admiration more broadly, not mainly yielding to others

Antonyms

594 1.0

Not polite or showing little respect for others

121 3.0

Not polite to someone, for example interrupting them

How Respectful

reverent
10 6.1
deferential
  • Formal
10 6.6
respectful
150 1.1
polite
329 1.0

Surface Forms

respectful positive
respectfuller comparative
respectfullest superlative

Morphology

respectful = respect (transparent) = respect + ful

Productive derivation from the noun 'respect' using the suffix '-ful' meaning 'full of' or 'characterized by', so the adjective's meaning is directly predictable.

Etymology

Respectful comes from the parts re- meaning 'again' and spect meaning 'to look'. So to be respectful is like 'looking back' at someone with attention and honor, which is why it means being polite and showing respect.