ENGLISH
REFERENCE

obedience

n. uncountable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //oʊˈbidiəns// UK //əʊbˈiːdiəns// obe·di·ence

n. the act of doing what you are told by a person or a rule. It means following orders or laws without arguing.

n. the act or practice of complying with an order, request, or law or submission to another's authority.


SIMPLE

The dog received a treat for its obedience.

CONTEXTUAL

Military training emphasizes strict obedience to the chain of command to ensure safety and efficiency during operations.

COMPLEX

The experiment sought to determine whether participants would prioritize their own moral compass over blind obedience to an authority figure who demanded they perform unethical tasks.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

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.

Usage

Often paired with the preposition 'to' ('obedience to the law').

Pitfall

his obedience for the ruleshis obedience to the rulesThe noun obedience is followed by the preposition 'to', not 'for'.

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