obedience
English · Thesaurus
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obedience
- /ə(ʊ)ˈbiːdɪəns/ UK
- /oʊˈbidiəns/ US
- /əˈbidiəns/ US
Where it comes from
From Middle English obedience, from Anglo-Norman obedience, from Old French obedience (modern French obédience), from Latin oboedientia. Displaced native Old English hīersumnes (compare modern English hearsomeness). Cognate with obeisance.
noun obediences · oboedience
- The quality of being obedient. Obedience is essential in any army.
- The collective body of persons subject to any particular authority.
- A written instruction from the superior of an order to those under him.
- Any official position under an abbot's jurisdiction.
Similar: submission, hearsomeness · Opposite: disobedience, defiance, rebellion, violation, control, dominance
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: respect, obey, compliance, allegiance, submission, obeisance, bid, subservience, docility, conformity, dutifulness, fidelity, subordination, tractability, deference, acquiescence
noun
Similar: submission, hearsomeness · Opposite: disobedience, defiance, rebellion, violation, control, dominance
Translations
Every language
noun quality of being obedient
| Español | obediencia |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 복종 bokjong |
| 日本語 | 服従 fukujū, 恭順 kyōjun, 順守 junshu |
| 中文 | 百依百順 /百依百顺 bǎiyībǎishùn, 服從 /服从 fúcóng |
| हिन्दी | अनुपालन anupālan, आज्ञाकारिता ājñākāritā |
| Kiswahili | taa, utii |
| Português | obediência |
| Français | obéissance |
| Deutsch | Gehorsam, Folgsamkeit, Gehorsamkeit |
| Italiano | obbedienza |
| Ελληνικά | υπακοή ypakoḯ, πειθαρχία peitharchía |
| Română | ascultare, supunere |
| Русский | послуша́ние poslušánije, поко́рность pokórnostʹ, подчине́ние podčinénije, повинове́ние povinovénije |
| Tiếng Việt | sự nghe lời |
| العربية | طَاعَة ṭāʕa, إِطَاعَة ʔiṭāʕa |
| עברית | צַיְתָנוּת tsaytanut |
Talk about this word "obedience." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/obedience. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. obedience. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/obedience "obedience." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/obedience.Cite this
@misc{obedience_2026,
title = {obedience},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/obedience},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
