submissive
adjective
sub·mis·sive
səb-ˈmi-siv 
: 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
Your value lies in being pretty, silent, submissive and unfailingly supportive of men.
—
Marie Bostwick, People.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Trump was demanding deference from Zelenskyy to show his inferior and submissive position as a recipient of U.S. aid and military support.
—Shannon Bow O'Brien, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2025
Washington has become the court of Nero: an incendiary emperor, submissive courtiers, and a buffoon on ketamine tasked with purging the civil service.
—Claude Malhuret, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2025
However, these works — all written by men — portrayed Veronika as a fragile, submissive woman, passively awaiting her fate.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for submissive
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Marie Bostwick, People.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Trump was demanding deference from Zelenskyy to show his inferior and submissive position as a recipient of U.S. aid and military support.
—Shannon Bow O'Brien, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2025
Washington has become the court of Nero: an incendiary emperor, submissive courtiers, and a buffoon on ketamine tasked with purging the civil service.
—Claude Malhuret, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2025
However, these works — all written by men — portrayed Veronika as a fragile, submissive woman, passively awaiting her fate.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for submissive
Cite this Entry
“Submissive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/submissive. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
submissive
adjective
sub·mis·sive
səb-ˈmis-iv
: 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
: 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 personality—S. W. Twemlow et al.
S. W. Twemlow et al.
submissiveness
noun
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