What is the meaning of Respect?
Executive summary
Respect is a layered social and personal concept that names both an internal feeling of esteem and outward behaviors that treat people, rights, or things as worthy of consideration; major dictionaries define it as regard or high regard deserving appropriate treatment [1] [2] [3]. Social science and practical guides stress that respect is enacted—customs, language, boundaries and deference are its currencies—and that cultural context, relationships and individual histories shape what counts as respectful behavior [4] [5] [6].
1. What dictionaries say: a compact, agreed definition
Authoritative dictionaries converge on a core meaning: respect is a feeling of importance or esteem toward someone or something plus the corresponding treatment such regard warrants, whether that shows up as politeness, deference, or honoring wishes and rights (Merriam‑Webster, Cambridge, Dictionary.com) [1] [2] [3].
2. Respect as feeling and as action: the two-part reality
Contemporary explainers emphasize that respect has an internal and an external side—an inward “high regard” and outward practices that communicate it; the Council on Quality and Leadership puts this duality plainly by defining respect as demonstrating high regard and special attention to another [5], while vocabulary and thesaurus resources underline that respect is both how one thinks and how one behaves [7] [8].
3. Culture, power and ceremony: why respect looks different everywhere
Anthropological and encyclopedic accounts show that what counts as respectful varies widely: simple phrases, bows, eye contact or age‑based forms of address function as respect in different societies, and “honor cultures” may insist it be earned rather than granted by default (Wikipedia) [4]. Dictionaries and cultural glossaries repeat the same point by giving examples—respecting wishes, customs or sacred objects—which highlights how rights, religion and social hierarchy shape respectful norms [2] [9].
4. Everyday applications: relationships, workplaces and children
Applied pieces and service organizations treat respect as the relational glue: guides for intimate relationships and youth education frame respect as recognizing boundaries, listening, and adjusting behavior so one’s actions do not harm others; children’s resources simplify this into two parts—having regard for effects on others and changing one’s actions accordingly [10] [11] [6]. Workplace DEI materials likewise position respect as practical inclusion—valuing people’s ideas and ensuring equitable participation—which links respectful practice to organizational health [12].
5. Conflicting meanings, moral claims and strategic uses
Beyond neutral definitions, people and groups use “respect” as a moral and strategic claim: some invoke respect to demand deference tied to authority or tradition, while others emphasize self‑respect and acceptance as ethical stances [13] [7]. This exposes a tension noted across sources: respect can be both a call for courtesy and a lever of power—honor cultures demand respect as status, advocacy groups ask for respect of rights and customs, and spiritual framings ask for unconditional acceptance—so claims about “respect” often carry implicit agendas that deserve scrutiny [4] [13] [9].
6. Bottom line: what respect means in practice
Synthesis of lexicons, practical guides and cultural accounts yields a clear operational definition: respect is perceiving someone or something as worthy (esteem) and behaving in ways that acknowledge that worth—through words, deeds, boundaries and institutions—while recognizing that how this looks depends on culture, context and power dynamics [1] [5] [4]. Where sources diverge is less about the core meaning than about emphasis—whether respect is earned or granted, individual or social, sentimental or procedural—which is why healthy practice treats respect as both internal attitude and accountable behavior, especially in relationships and institutions [8] [10] [12].