dutiful
adjective
du·ti·ful
ˈdü-ti-fəl 
also ˈdyü-
1
: filled with or motivated by a sense of duty
a dutiful child
2
: proceeding from or expressive of a sense of duty
a dutiful effort
Examples of dutiful in a Sentence
the dutiful way he took care of his sick mother
the family showed a dutiful deference to their minister when he came to dinner
Recent Examples on the Web
The Thursday, March 13 episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter saw the dutiful dad visiting an attorney's office to find out the legal options for having his wife, Kristina Shirley, adopt his 16-year-old daughter, Leah.
—
Angela Andaloro, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025
Carrigan plays the dutiful, largely silent family servant in the movie.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2025
Millions of dutiful, hardworking Americans are arbitrarily losing their careers (some are getting them back, some are losing them again), leaving the rest of us frighteningly less secure on countless levels.
—Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025
Mitsuko, 88 years old, was among the generation who saw nationalism change from being the dutiful way of life in Japan to something that should be questioned.
—Kevin Chroust, Outside Online, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dutiful
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Angela Andaloro, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025
Carrigan plays the dutiful, largely silent family servant in the movie.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2025
Millions of dutiful, hardworking Americans are arbitrarily losing their careers (some are getting them back, some are losing them again), leaving the rest of us frighteningly less secure on countless levels.
—Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025
Mitsuko, 88 years old, was among the generation who saw nationalism change from being the dutiful way of life in Japan to something that should be questioned.
—Kevin Chroust, Outside Online, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dutiful
Cite this Entry
“Dutiful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dutiful. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dutiful
adjective
du·ti·ful
ˈd(y)üt-i-fəl
: having or showing a sense of duty
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share