obedient

obe·di·ent

adjective \-ənt\

Definition of OBEDIENT

: submissive to the restraint or command of authority : willing to obey

— obe·di·ent·ly adverb

Examples of OBEDIENT

1. <that boy is so obedient that he does everything the first time he is asked>

Origin of OBEDIENT

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin oboedient-, oboediens, from present participle of oboedire to obey

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to OBEDIENT

Synonyms

amenable, biddable, compliant, conformable, docile, law-abiding, submissive, tractable

Antonyms

balky, contrary, contumacious, defiant, disobedient, froward, incompliant, insubordinate, intractable, noncompliant, obstreperous, rebel, rebellious, recalcitrant, refractory, restive, unamenable, ungovernable, unruly, untoward, wayward, willful (or wilful)

Related Words

acquiescent, agreeable, amiable, duteous, dutiful, obliging, placable; soft, surrendering, yielding; fawning, kowtowing, obeisant, obsequious, servile, slavish, subordinate, subservient; decorous, disciplined, mannerly, orderly; constrained, curbed, inhibited, repressed, restrained; controllable, disciplinable, governable, handleable, manageable, tame, teachable, tractable, trainable; gentle, meek, mild

Near Antonyms

insurgent, mutinous; dogged, hardheaded, headstrong, mulish, obdurate, obstinate, peevish, pigheaded, self-willed, stubborn, unyielding; uncontrollable, unmanageable, wild; balky, defiant, perverse, resistant; bad, disorderly, errant, misbehaving, mischievous, naughty; ill-bred, undisciplined; dissident, nonconformist; disrespectful, ill-mannered, impolite, impudent, insolent, rude

Synonym Discussion of OBEDIENT

obedient, docile, tractable, amenable mean submissive to the will of another. obedient implies compliance with the demands or requests of one in authority <obedient to the government>. docile implies a predisposition to submit readily to control or guidance <a docile child>. tractable suggests having a character that permits easy handling or managing <tractable animals>. 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>.

Rhymes with OBEDIENT

expedient, ingredient, submediant