From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdeferencedef‧er‧ence /ˈdefərəns/ noun [uncountable] formal OBEYpolite behaviour that shows that you respect someone and are therefore willing to accept their opinions or judgmentdeference to Lewis was annoyed that Adam did not show enough respect and deference to him.out of/in deference to something (=because you respect someone’s beliefs, opinions etc) They were married in church out of deference to their parents’ wishes. —deferential /ˌdefəˈrenʃəl◂/ adjective deferential treatment —deferentially adverb
Examples from the Corpus
deference• His manipulation of impudence and deference was too assured for that.• So educational achievement rather than nepotism offers a background to the respect, status and deference accorded to elites.• Visiting officials were treated with great deference.• But everyone erupted into giggles and bolted down the street as free of deference as the wind.• In partial deference to that pOtential backlash, current incumbents did not actively seek committee endorsement.• And yet, I overstated the barber's deference and this made me misunderstand, crucially, Waugh's novel.• At least for a short time, schoolmates often showed deference to their fallen peers.• Omi crooked a finger for the waitress who offered the bill with subtle deference, and Omi paid it with subtle superiority.• They are also used to unquestioning deference to their own leaders, be they family, clan or tribe. 