Meanings
obeyance1
- uncountableobedience
The tall soldiers of Nyjord moved in ready obeyance of their commander.
1962, Harry Harrison, Planet of the Damned2 more examples
Poor fellow! how happy would a companion make you, to whom you could relate your battles, bouts, and courtships; but mum is the order, and Jack is used to an implicit obeyance of head-quarter orders.
1829, Various, The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and InstructionOne of the instructions given by experienced aviators to pupils, and for which they insist upon implicit obeyance, is: "If your machine gets more than 30 feet high, or comes closer to the ground than 6 feet, descend at once."
1912, W.J. Jackman, Thos. H. Russell, Flying Machines
obeyance2
- nonstandarduncountableabeyance
The disfiguring wrinkles that make many necks unsightly may be kept in obeyance by massaging.
1897, Dorothy Quigley, What Dress Makes of Us
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
obeyance · noun
Misspelling or alteration of abeyance, by association with obey.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
obeyance. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obeyance
“obeyance.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obeyance. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “obeyance,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obeyance.
Source: obeyance on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.