deferent
/ˈdɛfəɹənt/adjective, noun
deferent is spelled D-E-F-E-R-E-N-T: 8 letters. It appears about once in every 26 million words in written English, the 154,067th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, deferent means “Showing deference; deferential” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in deferent?
| Letters | 8: D-E-F-E-R-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 26 million words; the 154,067th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is deferent?
Deferent appears about once in every 26 million words in written English, the 154,067th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce deferent?
- UK /ˈdɛfəɹənt/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-deferent.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of deferent
- more deferent comparative
- most deferent superlative
- deferents plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does deferent mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Showing deference; deferential.
- 2
obsoleteServing to carry; bearing.
noun
- 1
A duct in the body serving to carry away from, as opposed to an afferent one.
- 2
An imaginary circle surrounding the Earth, in whose periphery either the heavenly body or the centre of the heavenly body's epicycle was supposed to be carried round.
- 3
obsoleteThat which carries or conveys.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Deferent in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense showing deference:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | deferente |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does deferent come from?
From defer and deference; see -ent.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).