Synonyms of docile

docile

adjective

ˈdä-səl 

as in obedient

readily giving in to the command or authority of another

a docile young pony that went wherever it was led

Synonyms & Similar Words

• obedient
• compliant
• submissive
• tractable
• restrained
• biddable
• gentle
• meek
• amenable
• conformable
• soft
• controllable
• decorous
• tame
• repressed
• amiable
• law-abiding
• acquiescent
• dutiful
• obliging
• servile
• agreeable
• subordinate
• subservient
• obsequious
• governable
• orderly
• slavish
• fawning
• yielding
• disciplined
• surrendering
• manageable
• mannerly
• mild
• constrained
• duteous
• placable
• obeisant
• trainable
• inhibited
• teachable
• handleable
• kowtowing
• curbed
• disciplinable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• defiant
• unruly
• rebellious
• willful
• wilful
• restive
• disobedient
• recalcitrant
• contrary
• wayward
• obstreperous
• refractory
• intractable
• stubborn
• ungovernable
• insubordinate
• contumacious
• noncompliant
• obstinate
• mutinous
• wild
• balky
• rebel
• obdurate
• headstrong
• uncontrollable
• untoward
• unyielding
• resistant
• peevish
• unmanageable
• defiant
• hardheaded
• insurgent
• mulish
• unamenable
• dogged
• mischievous
• froward
• perverse
• bad
• disorderly
• incompliant
• pigheaded
• naughty
• balky
• self-willed
• undisciplined
• errant
• insolent
• impudent
• rude
• dissident
• nonconformist
• disrespectful
• impolite
• misbehaving
• ill-bred
• ill-mannered

Synonym Chooser

How is the word docile different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of docile are amenable, obedient, and tractable. While all these words mean "submissive to the will of another," docile implies a predisposition to submit readily to control or guidance.

a docile child

When can amenable be used instead of docile?

The words amenable and docile are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, amenable suggests a willingness to yield or cooperate because of a desire to be agreeable or because of a natural open-mindedness.

amenable to new ideas

In what contexts can obedient take the place of docile?

The synonyms obedient and docile are sometimes interchangeable, but obedient implies compliance with the demands or requests of one in authority.

obedient to the government

When would tractable be a good substitute for docile?

The words tractable and docile can be used in similar contexts, but tractable suggests having a character that permits easy handling or managing.

tractable animals

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of docile

Peasants have often been seen as docile and passive. —Nikil Saval, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025

Women provided cheap, docile, and uncomplaining behind-the-scenes labor in an expensive industry whose glamour was all in the hardware. —Constance Grady, Vox, 14 Apr. 2025

Smith derailed Vitor Petrino in May 2024 when the veteran made the Brazilian KO artist look docile, defeating him easily in the first round via submission. —Brian Mazique, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025

But the big attraction is Inti, a docile baby alpaca who sits next to the artisan, contentedly munching on leaves. —Jennifer Kester, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025

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