Preposition: in

• face: The archive material suggests that in both countries the courts have been unnecessarily deferential in the face of public interest immunity claims from government.

Modifies a noun

• attitude: I am baffled by the deferential attitude of the United Kingdom's political leaders toward the European Union.

• treatment: He compared the deferential press treatment of the Roosevelts in the White House with the Clinton era.

• tone: But his soft touch and deferential tone disarmed critics and left many an anti-American voice speechless, literally.

• manner: On the other hand, they had to address the guards in the most deferential manner giving them all their titles.

• relationship: Supporters trusts aim to do away with the passive, deferential relationship between the fan-base and the football club.

• respect: I say this obviously with a genuine and deferential respect, appreciating what your Lordship has already decided.

Modifying Another Word

• too: Obviously you must be polite, but don't be too deferential, and remember the power of eye contact.

• not: The age we live in is democratic not deferential.

• so: I discovered in a moment why the orator of the hustings is so deferential to the mob.

• very: They are all very deferential to each other so unlike life at home.

• overly: This approach might be thought to be perhaps both overly dismissive of the Human Rights Commission and overly deferential to the Strasbourg Court.

Used with adjective complement

• become: Science and Technology Society is becoming less deferential, with people increasingly demanding more involvement in the decisions that affect their lives.