The Adverb of Obedient: Obediently
The adverb of obedient is obediently.
How obediently is formed
Add -ly with no change: obedient + ly = obediently.
All -ent and -ant adjectives behave this way: patient → patiently, fluent → fluently, reluctant → reluctantly.
Obediently in a sentence
| The dog waited obediently at the door. | The most natural use – an animal or a child. |
| She obediently filled in every box on the form. | Applied to an adult, this is quietly critical. |
| They followed the instructions obediently. | Without questioning them. |
Where it is actually used
Knowing the form is one thing; knowing the company a word keeps is what makes it sound natural. These are the patterns obediently appears in most often.
| waited / followed / sat obediently | Animals and children, without judgement. |
| obediently nodded / complied / signed | An adult doing as told. Usually critical. |
| obediently reported / repeated | Often used of media accepting a line uncritically. |
Obediently or something else?
Several adverbs sit close to obediently, and the difference is usually meaning rather than formality.
| dutifully | About obligation rather than submission, and much more neutral. |
| meekly | About lack of spirit. The person could have objected and did not. |
| compliantly | Formal, and usually about rules or regulations rather than people. |
The mistake to watch for
| Incorrect | Correct |
| obediantly | obediently |
The adjective is spelled obedient with an e, not obediant. The misspelling is common because the ending is unstressed.
It changes tone with its subject. A dog that waits obediently is being praised. An adult who obediently signs a form is not – the word implies they should have thought for themselves. If you mean only that someone did what was asked, dutifully carries none of that weight.
Related forms
Pronunciation: oh-BEE-dee-ent-lee, five syllables, stress on the second.
| Adjective | obedient |
| Adverb | obediently |
| Noun | obedience |
| Opposite | disobediently |
Practice
Fill the gap, then check yourself.
- The children lined up ___.
- He ___ attended every meeting, as required.
- She ___ accepted the decision without a word.
Answers: 1. obediently 2. dutifully 3. meekly
Frequently asked
Is obediently ever a compliment for an adult?
Rarely in modern English. It once was, and survives in the old letter close your obedient servant, which now reads as archaic or sarcastic.
