The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word OBEDIENT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
O
B
E
D
I
E
N
T
More clues leading to the result OBEDIENT
- Dutiful knight in parliament with recipient of lesser honour
- Honour Princess Hospital department? – It’s well-trained
- Disposed, ie, to bend?
- Dutiful round patient’s place in hospital that is not empty
- Submissive old criminal about to pass on
- Disciplined old criminal to stop breaking in
- It’s an honour to lose one’s life not heartlessly following orders
- Following gong fare comes around noon
- Good decoration on stamp books
- Plot to replace queen in east, following orders
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Dutiful" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case dutiful = obedient.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does OBEDIENT mean?
OBEDIENT noun- One who obeys.
- Willing to comply with the commands, orders, or instructions of those in authority.