Sign In Get Started
Preposition after adjective

disrespectful to vs. disrespectful of

Use disrespectful to for behaviour toward a person or group. Use disrespectful of for attitudes toward rules, customs, rights, or feelings.

Quick answer

Both forms are correct, but they mean different things

Disrespectful to usually refers to behaviour directed at people. Disrespectful of usually refers to lacking respect for ideas, rules, traditions, rights, or feelings.

His comments were disrespectful to the teacher.
The article was disrespectful of local traditions.
She apologised for being disrespectful to her parents.
The company was disrespectful of workers' rights.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
disrespectful to + person

Behaviour directed at someone

Use to when the target of disrespect is a person, group, or sometimes an institution treated as a social entity.

It was rude and disrespectful to the guests.
The remark sounded disrespectful to older employees.
2
disrespectful of + rules or values

Showing lack of respect for principles or feelings

Use of when referring to traditions, laws, rights, beliefs, or emotions.

The campaign was disrespectful of cultural norms.
Ignoring the warning would be disrespectful of safety procedures.
3
be disrespectful in + activity

Describing the context of disrespect

In can introduce the situation or behaviour where disrespect appears, not the object of disrespect itself.

He was disrespectful in meetings.
The students became disrespectful in class discussions.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
disrespectful to
She was disrespectful to her manager.
Used for behaviour toward a person or group.
disrespectful of
The decision was disrespectful of local customs.
Used for lack of respect for values, rights, traditions, or feelings.
disrespectful toward
He was disrespectful toward his colleagues.
Toward is also common for behaviour directed at people.
disrespectful about
The phrase disrespectful about is not the usual pattern.
About may describe a topic of discussion, not the target of disrespect.

Common mistakes

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

Using of with people

Of is less natural when the object is a person.

✕ She was disrespectful of her teacher. ✓ She was disrespectful to her teacher.

Using to with abstract values

Of is usually better for rules, rights, or traditions.

✕ The policy was disrespectful to local customs. ✓ The policy was disrespectful of local customs.

Confusing context with target

In describes where the behaviour happened, not who or what received disrespect.

✕ He was disrespectful in his colleagues. ✓ He was disrespectful to his colleagues.

Using an unnecessary preposition

Disrespectful already functions as an adjective and does not need about in these patterns.

✕ She was disrespectful about the staff. ✓ She was disrespectful to the staff.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The comments were disrespectful ___ the audience.
2. The article was disrespectful ___ religious traditions.
3. He became disrespectful ___ meetings after the policy change.

Check your sentence in context

Paste the complete sentence below. Linguix checks the preposition together with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.

Free to try · No signup required

Frequently asked questions

Can disrespectful to and disrespectful of both be correct?

Yes, but they usually refer to different kinds of objects. To is common with people, while of is common with values or rules.

Is disrespectful toward acceptable?

Yes. Toward and towards are natural alternatives to to when referring to people or groups.

Can I say disrespectful of a person?

It is possible in some formal styles, but disrespectful to a person is much more natural in everyday English.

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"?

Write with confidence in Linguix

Create a free account to check complete texts, apply suggestions, and save your documents.

Create a free account