docile

adjective doc·ile \ ˈdä-səl also -ˌsī(-ə)l , especially British ˈdō-ˌsī(-ə)l \

|Updated on: 15 Jul 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: docile in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Ready to Learn The Origin of docile?

Definition of docile

1 : easily taught

a docile pupil

2 : easily led or managed : tractable

a docile pony

—

docilely

play \ˈdä-sə(l)-lē\ adverb

—

docility

play \dä-ˈsi-lə-tē, dō-\ noun

See docile defined for English-language learners

See docile defined for kids

docile was our Word of the Day on 11/09/2009. Hear the podcast!

Examples of docile in a Sentence

In the course of a single month, from Annie's arrival to her triumph in bridling the household despot, Helen [Keller] had grown docile, affectionate, and tirelessly intent on learning from moment to moment. —Cynthia Ozick, New Yorker, 16 & 23 June 2003
Africanized honeybees look like the European honeybees now commonly found in our gardens, and like their relatives, they make honey. They are fairly docile when they are foraging, but they defend their nests ferociously. —Lynn Ocone, Sunset, February 1994
His students were docile and eager to learn.
a docile young pony that went wherever it was led

Recent Examples of docile from the Web

The masses are kept docile by an endless stream of game shows, but none is more famous than The Running Man, which pits convicted criminals against seasoned assassins, with a pardon waiting if the victims survive.

— tasha robinson, The Verge, "10 subversive, dark American futures to stream on July 4th," 4 July 2018
But killer bees—hybrids of the relatively docile European strain of honey bee and a more aggressive African relative—are particularly fierce.

— elizabeth pennisi, Science | AAAS, "What turns bees into killer bees?," 15 June 2018
This system gave the P1 a docile demeanor on the street while maintaining razor-sharp precision on a track.

— k.c. colwell, Car and Driver, "More McLaren Senna Info Spills Forth: Here's What You Need to Know," 7 Feb. 2018
These changes in the brain reduce emotions like fear and aggression, creating the docile personalities found in domesticated rabbit, the researchers conclude today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

— elizabeth gamillo, Science | AAAS, "Why your pet rabbit is more docile than its wild relative," 25 June 2018
Hack said the bees are Italian, describing them as docile, hardworking and good for beginning beekeepers.

— graydon megan, chicagotribune.com, "Elmhurst College groundskeeper shows some of the 900 trees making up the campus' certified arboretum," 17 June 2018
Given the nature of the shy but docile animal, tours are typically more educational-heavy than snuggle-heavy.

— grace dickinson, Philly.com, "Hang out with (and pet) pigs, alpacas, goats, and more at these farms and animal rescues near Philadelphia," 6 June 2018
There remains something sobering in Bradbury's tale about leveraging ignorance as a kind of weapon, a means of keeping the masses manageable and docile.

— brian lowry, CNN, "'Fahrenheit 451' doesn't catch fire with HBO adaptation," 18 May 2018
My girls, when younger, would take one bite of burger before kicking off their sandals and wading in after the docile ducks.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Out-of-town guests? Here’s where to take them to eat around Anchorage.," 31 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'docile.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Ready to Learn The Origin of docile?

Docile students can make teaching a lot easier. Nowadays, calling students "docile" indicates they aren't trouble-makers. But there's more than just good behavior connecting docility to teachability. The original meaning of "docile" is more to the point: "readily absorbing something taught." "The docile mind may soon thy precepts know," rendered Ben Jonson, for example, in a 17th-century translation of the Roman poet Horace. "Docile" comes from Latin docēre, which means "to teach." Other descendants of "docēre" include "doctrine" (which can mean "something that is taught"), "document" (the earliest meaning of which was "instruction"), and "doctor" and "docent" (both of which can refer to college teachers).

Origin and Etymology of docile

Latin docilis, from docēre to teach; akin to Latin decēre to be fitting — more at decent

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

docile Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of docile

obedient, docile, tractable, amenable mean submissive to the will of another. obedient implies compliance with the demands or requests of one in authority.