obsequent

adj

"obsequent" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“obsequent” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Obedient; submissive; obsequious.

Corpus desk

Index EN-obsequent · obsequent · English

obsequent · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "O" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for obsequent
PropertyValue
Headwordobsequent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “obsequent” in English

obsequentsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

obsequent is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for obsequent in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin obsequens, present participle of obsequi, from ob (see ob-) + sequi. See sequence. The correct English form is obsequent, spelled O-B-S-E-Q-U-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Obedient; submissive; obsequious.
  2. 2
    Facing the opposite way of what would be expected, for example, a stream flowing towards higher elevation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how obsequent appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. an infinitive power[…]Which hee alwayes findeth plyant, and obsequent to his pleasure, euen against the proprietie of its owne particular nature.

Etymology

From Latin obsequens, present participle of obsequi, from ob (see ob-) + sequi. See sequence.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "obsequent"?
"obsequent" is spelled O-B-S-E-Q-U-E-N-T.
What does "obsequent" mean?
As an adjective, "obsequent" means: Obedient; submissive; obsequious.
What is the origin of the word "obsequent"?
From Latin obsequens, present participle of obsequi, from ob (see ob-) + sequi. See sequence. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list