Docile students have always made teaching easier than it otherwise would be. Today calling students "docile" indicates that 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 the Latin verb docēre, which means "to teach." Other descendants of docēre include doctrine (which can mean "something that is taught"), document (an early meaning of which was "instruction"), and doctor and docent (both of which can refer to teachers).
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
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 2003Africanized 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
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But the big attraction is Inti, a docile baby alpaca who sits next to the artisan, contentedly munching on leaves.—Jennifer Kester, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025 Over time, this could have created a population of cats that were more docile and social than their wild ancestors.—Jenny Lehmann, Discover Magazine, 14 Apr. 2025 In years past, the Leafs’ crease has featured docile and aloof characters.—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025 Some Tesla dealerships in the U.S. have been the victim of physical attacks, unlike Northbrook’s relatively docile demonstration.—Richard Requena, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for docile
Word History
Etymology
Latin docilis, from docēre to teach; akin to Latin decēre to be fitting — more at decent
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