obey

The word “obey” has 2 syllables: o-bey

It's pronounced as /oʊˈbeɪ/


What is synonym and antonym for obey?

In the thesaurus, “obey” has 51 synonyms and 57 antonyms.

Here are synonyms and antonyms for obey along with examples of usage in sentences.


Synonyms for obey

  • abide by
  • accede
  • accept
  • accord
  • acquiesce
  • act upon
  • adhere to
  • agree
  • answer
  • assent
  • attend
  • be loyal to
  • be ruled by
  • bow to
  • carry out
  • comply
  • concur
  • discharge
  • do as one says
  • do what is expected
  • do what one is told
  • embrace
  • execute
  • fall in with
  • follow
  • fulfill
  • get in line
  • give way
  • hear
  • heed
  • hold fast
  • keep
  • keep to
  • knuckle under
  • live by
  • mark
  • mind
  • note
  • notice
  • observe
  • perform
  • play second fiddle
  • regard
  • respond
  • serve
  • submit
  • surrender
  • take
  • take orders
  • toe the line
  • watch

Antonyms for obey

  • argue
  • ask
  • breach
  • break
  • buck
  • challenge
  • combat
  • contest
  • dare
  • decline
  • defy
  • deny
  • deride
  • differ
  • direct
  • disagree
  • disallow
  • disapprove
  • dismiss
  • disobey
  • disoblige
  • dispute
  • disregard
  • dissent
  • fail
  • fight
  • flout
  • forget
  • ignore
  • infringe
  • lead
  • leave
  • miss
  • mock
  • mutiny
  • neglect
  • object
  • oppose
  • overlook
  • overpass
  • pass over
  • pooh
  • pooh-pooh
  • protest
  • question
  • rebel
  • refuse
  • reject
  • renounce
  • repudiate
  • resist
  • scorn
  • shrug off
  • transgress
  • tune out
  • violate
  • withstand

Meanings of obey

  • verb
    1. To do as ordered by (a person, institution etc), to act according to the bidding of.
    2. To do as one is told.
    3. To be obedient, compliant (to a given law, restriction etc.).

Example Sentences

  • Students are expected to obey the school rules at all times.
  • The commanding officer ordered the soldiers to obey the direct orders.
  • It is essential for citizens to obey traffic laws for public safety.
  • The well-trained dog would always obey its owner's commands.
  • The principle of democracy is that everyone must obey the laws of the land.

On this page you'll find 108 synonyms, antonyms, or another words to obey, such as: abide by, accede, accept, accord, acquiesce, act upon, adhere to.

Make sure to choose synonyms and antonyms that are appropriate for the context of the sentence.

Related Words

abide by

abided by

  • accepted
  • accomplished
  • achieved
  • acknowledge
  • adopted
  • advocated
  • agree to
  • answered
  • attended
  • backed
  • backstopped
  • bolstered
  • boosted
  • brought about
  • brought off
  • buttressed
  • carried out
  • championed
  • cherished
  • committed
  • compassed
  • completed
  • comply with
  • concede
  • concluded
  • confirmed
  • consent to
  • consummated
  • cultivated
  • defended
  • discharged
  • effected
  • embraced
  • endorsed
  • enforced
  • espoused
  • executed
  • fell in with
  • filled
  • finalized
  • finished
  • follow
  • followed
  • fostered
  • fulfilled
  • heard
  • heeded
  • held to
  • indorsed
  • kept
  • kept to
  • lived up to
  • made
  • made good
  • made good on
  • marked
  • met
  • minded
  • noted
  • noticed
  • obeyed
  • observe
  • observed
  • perfected
  • performed
  • redeemed
  • reenforced
  • regarded
  • reinforced
  • satisfied
  • stood by
  • submit to
  • supported
  • took
  • upheld
  • watched

abides by

abiding by

fall

  • abasement
  • abate
  • abatement
  • alleviate
  • angle
  • arrive
  • back down
  • backslide
  • basin
  • be casualty
  • be destroyed
  • be killed
  • be lost
  • be precipitated
  • be taken
  • become
  • befall
  • belly flop
  • bend
  • bite the dust
  • bomb
  • bottom
  • bow
  • bow out
  • breach
  • break
  • break down
  • break the law
  • breakdown
  • breakup
  • buckle
  • burnout
  • buy it
  • buy the farm
  • cant
  • capitulate
  • capitulation
  • cascade
  • cataract
  • cave in
  • chance
  • check out
  • chute
  • cock
  • collapse
  • come about
  • come to pass
  • comedown
  • compress
  • concede
  • condense
  • constrict
  • consume
  • contract
  • crash
  • crater
  • croak
  • crumbling
  • crumple
  • curtailment
  • cut
  • cutback
  • dark age
  • de-escalate
  • de-escalation
  • death
  • debasement
  • decadence
  • decay
  • decease
  • decimation
  • declension
  • declination
  • decline
  • declivity
  • decomposition
  • decrease
  • decrement
  • deduction
  • defeat
  • defer to
  • deflate
  • deflation
  • degeneracy
  • degeneration
  • degradation
  • demise
  • demolishment
  • demolition
  • dent
  • depart
  • depletion
  • depreciate
  • depreciation
  • depression
  • descend
  • descent
  • desolation
  • destruction
  • deterioration
  • devolution
  • die
  • diminish
  • diminishment
  • diminution
  • dip
  • disappear
  • disappointment
  • disaster
  • disgrace
  • disintegration
  • dissolution
  • dive
  • down
  • downfall
  • downgrade
  • downhill
  • downslide
  • downtrend
  • downturn
  • downward slope
  • drag
  • droop
  • drop
  • drop down
  • drop-off
  • dry up
  • dwindle
  • dwindling
  • ease
  • eat dirt
  • ebb
  • eclipse
  • end
  • err
  • evaporate
  • exit
  • expire
  • fade
  • fail
  • failure
  • fall away
  • fall from grace
  • fall to pieces
  • falling-off
  • falloff
  • falter
  • flag
  • flameout
  • flatline
  • flop
  • flume
  • flump
  • flunk
  • fold
  • fold up
  • forfeit
  • founder
  • free-fall
  • give in
  • give out
  • give up
  • give up the ghost
  • give way
  • go
  • go down
  • go under
  • gravitate
  • hand over
  • hang
  • hanging
  • havoc
  • header
  • heel
  • hit the dirt
  • hollow
  • humiliation
  • incline
  • infringe
  • keel
  • keel over
  • kick in
  • kick off
  • kick the bucket
  • knuckle under
  • land
  • lapse
  • lean
  • lessen
  • lessening
  • let up
  • lie down
  • list
  • lose
  • loss
  • lower
  • lowering
  • meltdown
  • mess up
  • miss
  • misstep
  • moderate
  • nadir
  • nose-dive
  • nosedive
  • obey
  • occur
  • offend
  • pall
  • part
  • pass away
  • pass into enemy hands
  • peg out
  • perish
  • phase down
  • pitch
  • plonk
  • plop
  • plummet
  • plummeting
  • plunge
  • plunk
  • pop off
  • pratfall
  • precipitate
  • predecease
  • recede
  • recession
  • recline
  • reduction
  • regress
  • relapse
  • relax
  • relent
  • relinquish
  • remit
  • resign
  • resignation
  • retreat
  • retrenchment
  • reversal
  • rotting
  • ruin
  • ruination
  • sag
  • setback
  • settle
  • shoot
  • shortening
  • shrink
  • shrinkage
  • shute
  • sin
  • sink
  • sinking
  • skid
  • slacken
  • slant
  • slide
  • slip
  • slope
  • slump
  • snuff it
  • spill
  • spin
  • spoiling
  • step out
  • step-down
  • stray
  • strike out
  • stumble
  • submit
  • subside
  • subtraction
  • succumb
  • sunset
  • surrender
  • take a header
  • take place
  • take the count
  • tank
  • taper
  • taper off
  • throw
  • tilt
  • tip
  • tip over
  • topple
  • totter
  • trail
  • transgress
  • trespass
  • trip
  • tumble
  • undoing
  • vanish
  • violate
  • wander
  • wane
  • wash out
  • waterfall
  • weaken
  • white water
  • wipe out
  • yield

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