Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Careful to fulfill obligations.
- adjective Expressing or filled with a sense of obligation.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Performing the duties required by social or legal obligations; obedient; submissive to natural or legal superiors; obediently respectful: as, a dutiful son or daughter; a dutiful ward or servant; a dutiful subject.
- Expressive of a sense of duty; showing compliant respect; required by duty: as, dutiful attentions.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Performing, or ready to perform, the duties required by one who has the right to claim submission, obedience, or deference; submissive to natural or legal superiors; obedient, as to parents or superiors
- adjective Controlled by, proceeding from, a sense of duty; respectful; deferential.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective
Accepting of one's legal or moralobligations and willing to do them well, and without complaint. - adjective Pertaining to one's
duty ; demonstrative of one's sense of duty.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective willingly obedient out of a sense of duty and respect
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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What children expect of parents in dutiful bounty but a friendly co-operation.
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The editor of Vogue, Anna Wintour, is in dutiful attendance after controversially cutting her time short at the previous collections.
Nicholas Kirkwood, British shoe designer, steps up to top role at Pollini Tom Kington 2010
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Like Mr. Hiller, Mr. O'Shea came from the Chicago Tribune, where he had been managing editor and had been known as a dutiful manager of the shrinking budgets plaguing all newspapers today.
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I believe, too, that since the time — ten years earlier — when she had recalled her dutiful son Peter from the service, she had wholly changed her mode of living.
Youth 2003
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So probably one who accepts (CP) does so in a way that violates (CP); (CP) lays down a condition for being justified, dutiful, which is such that one who accepts it probably violates it.
Warranted Christian Belief 1932- 2000
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The Master said: To-day a man is called dutiful if he keep his father and mother.
II 1909
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A man who his clansmen call dutiful, and his neighbours call modest.
XIII 1909
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I believe, too, that since the time -- ten years earlier -- when she had recalled her dutiful son Peter from the service, she had wholly changed her mode of living.
Youth Leo Tolstoy 1869
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And little duties make the will dutiful, that is, supple and prompt to obey.
Sermons. Volume The Fourth. 1808-1892 1850
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He is dutiful, which is good, but he is not exactly inspired, which is why I look forward to summer for him.
Chicken Blog 2009
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