submissive

adjective

sub·​mis·​sive səb-ˈmi-siv How to pronounce submissive (audio)
: submitting to others
submissive employees
submissively adverb
submissiveness noun

Examples of submissive in a Sentence

it's not in her nature to be submissive
Recent Examples on the Web Gyllenhaal’s role as a submissive secretary in a BDSM relationship with her boss, played by James Spader, was hailed as a breakthrough performance. Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 24 Nov. 2023 Asian gay males are often perceived as submissive, less masculine and lacking testosterone. Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2023 The goal is to create a more ideologically submissive civil service that will carry out whatever Trump orders, even if those orders are legally dubious. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 2 Nov. 2023 Disconnected from reality, the eternal image of a kind mother and a submissive daughter-in-law, the woman is more like a beautiful prop. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 24 Oct. 2023 The character was the spiritual descendant of Madame Butterfly, a stereotypically submissive Asian woman who is tragically deserted by a domineering white man. Mayukh Sen, The New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2023 Hopper also added a crucial nuance: At some point during rape, most victims revert to habits, usually passive or submissive ones, that have been conditioned by culture or abuse. Jen Percy, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2023 Bondage and Discipline: BDSM practice incorporates bondage (tying, binding, or restraining someone) and discipline (punishing a submissive partner). Dominique Fluker, Essence, 7 Sep. 2023 And male mice that are housed together establish a dominance hierarchy, with alpha males expressing more than 10 times as much testosterone as the submissive ones. Azeen Ghorayshi, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'submissive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1572, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of submissive was in 1572

Dictionary Entries Near submissive

Cite this Entry

“Submissive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/submissive. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

submissive

adjective
sub·​mis·​sive səb-ˈmis-iv How to pronounce submissive (audio)
: inclined or willing to submit to others : yielding
submissively adverb
submissiveness noun
Etymology

from Latin submissus, past participle of submittere "to let down," from sub- "under, below" and mittere "to send, throw" — related to message

Medical Definition

submissive

adjective
sub·​mis·​sive səb-ˈmis-iv How to pronounce submissive (audio)
: characterized by tendencies to yield to the will or authority of others
bullying usually involves a stronger, more dominant personality coercing a weaker, more submissive personalityS. W. Twemlow et al.
submissiveness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on submissive

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