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
• 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
• naughty
• pigheaded
• 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

This harmless, doll-like look juxtaposed with the anger running through their punk discographies and unruly performances was meant to subvert the expectations of women as docile objects in the patriarchy. — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 12 May 2026

Andrew Mulani, the bongo program assistant at the conservancy, said the bongos are monitored for months before being reintroduced into the wild to ensure that the shyest ones are selected because docile animals would fall easily to predators. — ABC News, 9 May 2026

The Mario series was maturing alongside the greater video-game landscape, but its childlike essence remained—not through docile cuteness, but through a more grandiose fusion of wonder, whimsy, and wistfulness. — Billie Bugara, Pitchfork, 9 May 2026

If not, the government is spending millions keeping people addicted, making a quarter of the prison population docile and high. — Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 1 May 2026

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