duteousness
Definition
Noun: The quality or state of being duteous; obedient respect, especially toward those in authority, combined with a conscientious willingness to fulfill one's duties and obligations.
Usage Examples
- (Her respectful and obedient attention to her responsibilities as a daughter.)
- (His readiness to comply with orders and perform his duties faithfully.)
- (A consistent, respectful attitude toward tasks and superiors.)
Advanced Usage
"duteousness to tradition": a respectful adherence to established customs or practices.
- The family's duteousness to tradition ensured that every holiday ritual was observed. (Their respectful obedience to long-standing customs.)
"duteousness of a servant": the obedient and loyal attitude expected from someone in a subordinate role.
- The butler's duteousness was never questioned by the household. (His consistent, respectful fulfillment of his duties.)
Variants and Related Words
Duteous (adj): obedient; showing a sense of duty.
- The duteous child always listened to his parents. (Obedient and respectful.)
Dutiful (adj): having a sense of duty; conscientious.
- She gave a dutiful reply to her teacher. (Respectful and obedient in manner.)
Dutifulness (n): the quality of being dutiful; conscientious fulfillment of obligations.
- His dutifulness was recognized with a promotion. (His reliable, obedient performance of duties.)
Synonyms
- Obedience: compliance with commands or instructions from authority.
- Respectfulness: showing deference and honor toward others.
- Conscientiousness: careful and thorough attention to one's duties.
Phrasal Verbs
Related Idioms
"to do one's duty": to fulfill one's obligations or responsibilities.
- She always did her duty without complaint, a sign of her duteousness. (She performed her required tasks faithfully.)
"to toe the line": to conform to rules or expectations, often out of respect for authority.
- His duteousness meant he always toed the line at work. (He always followed rules obediently.)