English dictionary

respect Meaning & Definition

Q: What is the plural of respect?

The plural of respect is respects.

Q: What is the past tense of respect?

The past tense of respect is respected. The present participle is respecting.

/ɹɪˈspɛkt/

What Does Respect Mean?

Respect is a noun that means An attitude of consideration or high regard; a feeling of admiration or esteem. It can also mean Good opinion, honor, or admiration. As a verb, it means To have respect for. As an interjection, it means hello, hi.

Respect: Key Facts

Part of speech	noun, verb, interjection
Pronunciation	/ɹɪˈspɛkt/
Synonyms	regard, observe and esteem
Antonyms	disesteem, disrespect and belittlement
Plural	respects
Verb forms	respects, respecting, respected

Respect Definition (Noun)

An attitude of consideration or high regard; a feeling of admiration or esteem.
He is an intellectual giant, and I have great respect for him.
Good opinion, honor, or admiration.
Polite greetings, often offered as condolences after a death.
The mourners paid their last respects to the deceased poet.
A particular aspect, feature or detail of something.
This year's model is superior to last year's in several respects.
Good will; favor.

Respect as a Verb

To have respect for.
She is an intellectual giant, and I respect her greatly.
To have regard for something, to observe a custom, practice, rule or right.
I respect your right to hold that belief, although I think it is nonsense.
To abide by an agreement.
They failed to respect the treaty they had signed, and invaded.
To take notice of; to regard as worthy of special consideration; to heed.
To relate to; to be concerned with.
To regard; to consider; to deem.
To look toward; to face.

Respect as an Interjection

hello, hi

Noun

An attitude of consideration or high regard
He is an intellectual giant, and I have great respect for him.
(always plural) Polite greetings, often offered as condolences after a death.
The mourners paid their last respects to the deceased poet.

Verb

(dated except in "respecting") To relate to; to be concerned with.

Antonyms of Respect

disesteem disrespect belittlement contempt contumely despect disdain disparagement ignoring irreverence neglect scorn slight contemn despise dis diss belittle ignore

Respect in a Sentence

He is an intellectual giant, and I have great respect for him.

The mourners paid their last respects to the deceased poet.

This year's model is superior to last year's in several respects.

She is an intellectual giant, and I respect her greatly.

I respect your right to hold that belief, although I think it is nonsense.

I respect your right to feel offended, even though most people, myself included, totally disagree and don’t find the comment offensive in the slightest.

They failed to respect the treaty they had signed, and invaded.

Word Forms & Grammar

respect (countable and uncountable, plural respects)

respect (third-person singular simple present respects, present participle respecting, simple past and past participle respected)

respect

Words That Rhyme With Respect

Origin of Respect

Origin 1: From Middle English respect, from Old French respect, also respit (“respect, regard, consideration”), from Latin respectus (“a looking at, regard, respect”), perfect passive participle of respiciō (“look at, look back upon, respect”), from re- (“back”) + speciō (“to see”), equivalent to re- +‎ -spect. Doublet of respite.

Origin 2: The verb is derived from the noun.

Questions People Ask About Respect

Is respect a noun or a verb?

Respect is mainly used as a noun, but it can also be used as a verb and an interjection.

What is another word for respect?

Words with a similar meaning to respect include regard, observe and esteem. See the full list of respect synonyms and antonyms.

What is the opposite of respect?

The opposite of respect can be expressed with words like disesteem, disrespect, belittlement and contempt.

What is the plural of respect?

The plural of respect is respects.

What is the past tense of respect?

The past tense of respect is respected. The present participle is respecting.