submissive

adjective

sub·​mis·​sive səb-ˈmi-siv 

: submitting to others

submissive employees

submissively adverb

submissiveness noun

Synonyms of submissive

• obedient
• compliant
• docile

Examples of submissive in a Sentence

it's not in her nature to be submissive

Recent Examples on the Web

The original plot centered on the arrival of a submissive, quiet mail-order bride and her father from China, who sneaked into the country to marry a nightclub owner who had no idea that his mother had brought the girl over for him. —Marla Jo Fisher, Daily News, 4 May 2026

Additionally, the bird has been the more submissive of the eaglets. —Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 1 May 2026

Miranda’s latest submissive prince-consort boyfriend is played by Kenneth Branagh, bizarrely the lead violinist in a string quartet. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2026

The more submissive the manager is, the more Frenza will rip into her. —Literary Hub, 7 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1572, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for submissive

• derisive
• dismissive
• emissive
• permissive
• transmissive
• missive

Kids 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.

submissiveness noun