What does obedience mean?
Word: Obedience
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Obedience means doing what you are told by a person in charge, or following a rule or law.
Synonyms: compliance, discipline, submission
Antonyms: rebellion
How do you spell obedience?
Syllables: o - be - di - ence
Tricky part: The ending is ence, not ance. The two endings sound the same, so obediance is the slip to watch for.
Watch out for: obediance, obediense, obedince
Memory tip: There is no dance in obedience: it ends in ence. An obedient pupil sits still and does not dance about.
Obedience in a sentence
Example 1: The army expects complete obedience from its soldiers.
Example 2: Our dog Bruno goes to obedience classes every Saturday.
Example 3: Blind obedience to a bad rule is not always right.
Fun Fact
Guide dogs for blind people go through months of obedience training, yet they are also taught to refuse a command that would lead their owner into danger.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word obedience as it is used in the sentence:
The puppy learnt obedience quickly and now waits at the door whenever it is told.
a) loyalty
b) defiance
c) respect
d) docility
Show answer
b) defiance. Docility, respect and loyalty all suit a well-trained puppy; defiance means refusing to do as told.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
ob_d_ence
a) a, i
b) i, i
c) e, i
d) e, e
Show answer
c) e, i. Obedience grows out of obey, so the e after the b stays, and the third beat, di, takes an i.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is misspelt. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. gratitude 2. sincerity 3. dilligence 4. obedience
a) willingness to do as you are told
b) steady, careful hard work
c) the quality of meaning what you say
d) the feeling of being thankful
Show answer
b) steady, careful hard work. Diligence needs only one l. The other three words are spelt as they should be.
Word Makeup
Only one of these words can take the prefix dis to make a new word. Choose it:
dis
a) silence
b) obedience
c) patience
d) kindness
Show answer
b) obedience. Dis + obedience gives disobedience; patience takes im, and kindness and silence take neither.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A child who shows obedience ____.
a) argues about every single rule
b) follows the rules set at home
c) hides whenever a teacher calls
d) forgets all the instructions
Show answer
b) follows the rules set at home
2. In an obedience class, a dog learns to ____.
a) bark loudly at every passing car
b) run faster than other dogs in a race
c) find its way home all on its own
d) follow commands such as sit and stay
Show answer
d) follow commands such as sit and stay
