Synonyms of docile

docile

adjective

ˈdä-səl 

as in obedient

readily giving in to the command or authority of another

a docile young pony that went wherever it was led

Synonyms & Similar Words

• obedient
• compliant
• submissive
• tractable
• restrained
• biddable
• gentle
• meek
• amenable
• conformable
• soft
• controllable
• decorous
• tame
• repressed
• amiable
• law-abiding
• acquiescent
• dutiful
• obliging
• servile
• agreeable
• subordinate
• subservient
• obsequious
• governable
• orderly
• slavish
• fawning
• yielding
• disciplined
• surrendering
• manageable
• mannerly
• mild
• constrained
• duteous
• placable
• obeisant
• trainable
• inhibited
• teachable
• handleable
• kowtowing
• curbed
• disciplinable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• defiant
• unruly
• rebellious
• willful
• wilful
• restive
• disobedient
• recalcitrant
• contrary
• wayward
• obstreperous
• refractory
• intractable
• stubborn
• ungovernable
• insubordinate
• contumacious
• noncompliant
• obstinate
• mutinous
• wild
• balky
• rebel
• obdurate
• headstrong
• uncontrollable
• untoward
• unyielding
• resistant
• peevish
• unmanageable
• defiant
• hardheaded
• insurgent
• mulish
• unamenable
• dogged
• mischievous
• froward
• perverse
• bad
• disorderly
• incompliant
• pigheaded
• naughty
• balky
• self-willed
• undisciplined
• errant
• insolent
• impudent
• rude
• dissident
• nonconformist
• disrespectful
• impolite
• misbehaving
• ill-bred
• ill-mannered

Synonym Chooser

How is the word docile different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of docile are amenable, obedient, and tractable. While all these words mean "submissive to the will of another," docile implies a predisposition to submit readily to control or guidance.

a docile child

When can amenable be used instead of docile?

The words amenable and docile are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, amenable suggests a willingness to yield or cooperate because of a desire to be agreeable or because of a natural open-mindedness.

amenable to new ideas

In what contexts can obedient take the place of docile?

The synonyms obedient and docile are sometimes interchangeable, but obedient implies compliance with the demands or requests of one in authority.

obedient to the government

When would tractable be a good substitute for docile?

The words tractable and docile can be used in similar contexts, but tractable suggests having a character that permits easy handling or managing.

tractable animals

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of docile

The gestating women are docile and encouraged not to question the process, distracted by activities like yoga, painting or listening to music. —Holly Jones, Variety, 10 Feb. 2025

Like Somma, Wendt wants to complicate perceptions that the capybara has a docile nature. —Gary Shteyngart, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025

Israeli medical specialists have concluded some hostages released in an earlier truce were drugged to keep them docile. —Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2025

Mark shares that this is his first time encountering an elf owl and explains how these tiny, docile birds lead secluded lives, often nesting in saguaro cactus cavities made by woodpeckers. —Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 16 Dec. 2024

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