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Prepositions after adjectives

How to use obedient with prepositions

Obedient is normally followed by to when naming the person, rule, or authority someone obeys.

Quick answer

The standard construction is obedient to

Use obedient to for a person, law, order, or principle that someone follows. Obedient unto appears mainly in religious or literary language. Obedient in, obedient by, and obedient of are not standard adjective patterns.

The children were obedient to their teacher.
She remained obedient to the court order.
The phrase obedient unto death appears in religious writing.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
obedient to + authority

Showing obedience to a person or institution

Use to with the person or authority being obeyed.

The soldiers were obedient to their commander.
He is always obedient to school rules.
2
obedient to + rule/principle

Following rules or standards

Use to with laws, instructions, and principles.

The company stayed obedient to safety regulations.
Citizens should be obedient to the law.
3
obedient unto + result

Formal or religious language

Unto is an old-fashioned or literary variant mainly found in religious contexts.

The text describes him as obedient unto death.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
obedient to
She was obedient to her parents.
Standard modern pattern meaning willing to obey.
obedient unto
The saint remained obedient unto death.
Formal, literary, or religious variant of to.
obedient in
He was obedient in class.
In class describes place, not the object of obedience.
obedient by
They acted obediently by following instructions.
Obedient by is not a standard adjective pattern.
obedient of
The phrase obedient of the law sounds unnatural.
Not standard in current English.

Common mistakes

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

Using by after obedient

By does not normally follow obedient as its complement.

✕ She was obedient by her coach. ✓ She was obedient to her coach.

Using of after obedient

Of is not the normal preposition after obedient.

✕ He is obedient of the rules. ✓ He is obedient to the rules.

Confusing location with complement

A phrase with in may describe place, not what is obeyed.

✕ The students were obedient in the teacher. ✓ The students were obedient to the teacher.

Using unto in everyday English

Unto sounds literary or religious in modern English.

✕ Employees must be obedient unto managers. ✓ Employees must be obedient to managers.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The dog is very obedient ___ its owner.
2. The phrase obedient ___ death is mainly literary.
3. Which sentence is standard English?

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Frequently asked questions

Is obedient to correct?

Yes. Obedient to is the normal modern English pattern.

Can I say obedient unto?

Yes, but it sounds formal, literary, or religious.

Is obedient of grammatical?

It is not standard in current English.

"objective in" or "objective about"? "obligatory for" or "obligatory on"? "oblivious to" or "oblivious of"? observable in, by, from, to or on? obsessed with, by, about, in or over? obsessive about, in, over, with or to? "obsolete in" or "obsolete by"? "obtainable in" or "obtainable from"? "obvious to", "obvious from" or "obvious in"? odd to, for, about, in or on? offensive to, in, against, on or about? official with, in, for, on or at?

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