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Prepositions after adjectives

Disobedient to, in, unto, at or for?

The standard pattern is disobedient to someone or something. Other prepositions are uncommon or belong to separate sentence structures.

Quick answer

Which preposition goes with disobedient?

Use disobedient to with parents, rules, teachers, or authority. Unto is archaic and rare. In, at, and for usually introduce separate ideas rather than complete the adjective.

The child was disobedient to his parents.
She became disobedient to the school rules.
The soldiers were disobedient to their commander.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
disobedient to + person

Not obeying a person

Use disobedient to with parents, teachers, or authorities.

He was often disobedient to his mother.
The recruit remained disobedient to senior officers.
2
disobedient to + rule/order

Not following rules or instructions

Use to with laws, instructions, or commands.

They were disobedient to military orders.
She became disobedient to company policy.
3
disobedient unto + authority

Archaic or religious style

Unto may appear in old-fashioned or biblical language but is rare in modern English.

The servant was disobedient unto his master.
4
disobedient in + situation

Using in for context

In may describe the situation where disobedience occurs.

He was disobedient in class.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
disobedient to
The boy was disobedient to his father.
Standard modern English pattern.
disobedient in
She was disobedient in school.
In introduces the setting, not the authority disobeyed.
disobedient unto
They were disobedient unto the king.
Archaic or highly formal style.
disobedient at
He was disobedient at dinner.
At refers to a time or event, not the object of obedience.
disobedient for
She was disobedient for attention.
Not a standard complement after disobedient.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using for after disobedient

Use to for the person or rule being disobeyed.

✕ He was disobedient for his teacher. ✓ He was disobedient to his teacher.

Using at as the main complement

At may show place or occasion, not the target of obedience.

✕ She was disobedient at her parents. ✓ She was disobedient to her parents.

Using unto in everyday English

Unto sounds archaic in modern conversation and writing.

✓ The child was disobedient to the rules.

Omitting to

Disobedient normally takes to before the authority or rule.

✕ They were disobedient the law. ✓ They were disobedient to the law.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The student was disobedient ___ the teacher.
2. Which option sounds archaic?
3. She was disobedient ___ class.

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Frequently asked questions

Is disobedient unto still used?

It appears mainly in religious, literary, or archaic language.

Can I say disobedient at school?

Yes. Here at school describes location, not the complement of disobedient.

What is the normal preposition after disobedient?

The usual preposition is to.

daily, for, daily, with, daily, in damaging to, for, of, in or as? damn about, near, for, to or as? "dangerous for" or "dangerous to"? "dark in", "dark for" or "dark of"? "daunting for" or "daunting to"? dead in, on, by, at or of? deadly to, in, for, of or with? "deaf to" or "deaf in"? dear to, in, for, of or as? deceased in, to, for, at or on? "decent in" or "decent for"?

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