OBEDIENCE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does obedience mean? 

• OBEDIENCE (noun)
  The noun OBEDIENCE has 3 senses:

1. the act of obeying; dutiful or submissive behavior with respect to another person

2. the trait of being willing to obey

3. behavior intended to please your parents

  Familiarity information: OBEDIENCE used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• OBEDIENCE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of obeying; dutiful or submissive behavior with respect to another person

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

obedience; obeisance

Hypernyms ("obedience" is a kind of...):

compliance; submission (the act of submitting; usually surrendering power to another)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "obedience"):

truckling (the act of obeying meanly (especially obeying in a humble manner or for unworthy reasons))

Antonym:

disobedience (the failure to obey)

Derivation:

obedient (dutifully complying with the commands or instructions of those in authority)

obey (be obedient to)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The trait of being willing to obey

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("obedience" is a kind of...):

flexibility; tractability; tractableness (the trait of being easily persuaded)

Attribute:

obedient (dutifully complying with the commands or instructions of those in authority)

disobedient (not obeying or complying with commands of those in authority)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "obedience"):

submissiveness (the trait of being willing to yield to the will of another person or a superior force etc.)

Antonym:

disobedience (the trait of being unwilling to obey)

Derivation:

obedient (dutifully complying with the commands or instructions of those in authority)

obey (be obedient to)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Behavior intended to please your parents

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

obedience; respect

Context example:

he went to law school out of respect for his father's wishes

Hypernyms ("obedience" is a kind of...):

filial duty (duty of a child to its parents)

Derivation:

obedient (dutifully complying with the commands or instructions of those in authority)

 Context examples 

Further, that I require you to bring obedience here.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

But when the love-master spoke, White Fang came to him with prompt obedience.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

This, my dear fellow, is in obedience to your wishes, for I am only too proud and happy to do anything I can for her.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Maude, Maude! said he, shaking his head, it is more hard for me to gain obedience from you than from the ten score drunken archers who followed me to Guienne.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Nor was it a sense of pity, nor obedience to the "Thou shalt not" of religion.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

"I am all obedience," was the response.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Stanley Hopkins had laid his hand upon her arm and claimed her as his prisoner, but she waved him aside gently, and yet with an over-mastering dignity which compelled obedience.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The Churchills might not have a word to say in return; but then, you would have no habits of early obedience and long observance to break through.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

Johnson hesitated, but the long years of obedience to the masters of ships overpowered him, and he dropped sullenly to the deck and went on forward.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

I staid three months in this country, out of perfect obedience to his majesty; who was pleased highly to favour me, and made me very honourable offers.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)