domestication

noun

do·​mes·​ti·​ca·​tion də-ˌme-sti-ˈkā-shən 

: the act or process of domesticating something or someone or the state of being domesticated: such as

a

: the adaptation of a plant or animal from a wild or natural state (as by selective breeding) to life in close association with humans

Wild and feral dogs are hunters, but domestication and differential breeding have modified breed and individual predatory motivation.

—Julia Albright

Horse domestication revolutionized transport, communications, and warfare in prehistory, yet the identification of early domestication processes has been problematic.

—Alan K. Outram et al.

b

: the process of adapting someone or the state of being adapted to domestic life

But my father-in-law was also the very soul of domestication and familial responsibility, a man of regular habits who tied up his garbage with the spare lengths of string he collected in a Maxwell House coffee can …

—Garret Keizer

c

: the adaptation of something to meet the expectations or tastes of ordinary people

When you think about it, the whole buzzy excitement surrounding The Aristocrats, with its torrents of obscenity, points to another new phenomenon this summer: the domestication of raunch.

—Gregory Kirschling

Examples of domestication in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Carp were introduced to Asia, where independent domestication practices arose, particularly in China. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025

Before domestication, cats had to hunt for their own food, much like their larger relatives, such as tigers and lions. —Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025

But the dog domestication saga gets even murkier in the context of the peopling of the Americas, which might have occurred sometime between 27,000 and 16,000 years ago. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Dec. 2024

The study, on dog domestication, found that dogs possess two mutations of a gene known as melanocortin 2 receptor (MC2R), which is linked to the production of cortisol, a hormone released during moments of fear or anxiety. —Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1718, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for domestication

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration