as in obedient
readily giving in to the command or authority of another
it's not in her nature to be submissive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of submissive
And the movement could never be as iconic as Sergio Busquets’ submissive touch, pause and guide for Lionel Messi to embark on one of the best solo goals ever seen in the 2011 El Clasico semi-final at the Bernabeu.
—
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
The submissive body is absent; there are only raw networks of pressure and pleasure, woven together by the threads of discipline.
—Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2025
Wilson also gets called a ‘simp,’ which is slang for a man who is viewed as foolish for being submissive or overly catering to his woman.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 26 Aug. 2025
The women in Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather trilogy are generally submissive.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for submissive
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
The submissive body is absent; there are only raw networks of pressure and pleasure, woven together by the threads of discipline.
—Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2025
Wilson also gets called a ‘simp,’ which is slang for a man who is viewed as foolish for being submissive or overly catering to his woman.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 26 Aug. 2025
The women in Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather trilogy are generally submissive.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for submissive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for submissive
obedient
Adjective
-
There’s a difference, school leaders said, between building the confidence of girls, whom society expects to be obedient and agreeable, and building the confidence of boys, who get different societal messages.—
Melanie Asmar,
Denver Post,
5 Oct. 2025
-
The Tyrell Corporation, a powerful company that created the replicants and profits from sending them to work on distant colonies, sees them as nothing more than obedient workers.—
Claire A. Simmers,
The Conversation,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Submissive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/submissive. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share