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submissively

adverb

Definition of submissivelynext
as in humbly
in a manner showing no signs of pride or self-assertion all of the extended family was expected to be submissively amenable to the matriarch's wishes

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 submissively Outwardly Smart behaved submissively, following her captors’ instructions while always looking for a way to escape. — Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for submissively
  1. humbly
  2. meekly
  3. politely
  4. sheepishly
  5. deferentially
Adverb
  • Elordi nearly shoulders the running time but plays his Hig a bit too humbly.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Under the jerseys, Lee, 40, humbly posts a small University of Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame plaque.
    — PJ Green August 27, Kansas City Star, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of humbly
Adverb
  • His recollections often take the form of dialogues in which interlocutors meekly acknowledge his overwhelming rhetorical advantage.
    — Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
  • When Luke tells him, meekly, not to touch Crystal, Max only wants to know who the young man is.
    — JP Mangalindan, Time, 31 July 2026
Definition of meekly
Adverb
  • To keep their identities somewhat of a secret, Freddy and his traveling companions agreed to speak to a reporter on Saturday night but politely declined to reveal their last names or take a picture that includes their faces.
    — Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • At this year’s Munich Security Conference, Rubio said the same thing more politely.
    — Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of politely
Adverb
  • Reluctantly, somewhat sheepishly, Van Lith wandered along the edge of the corn patch that August.
    — Jeff Murray, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Green looked sheepishly at Linkof, who gave him the green light to spill the beans.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 24 July 2026
Definition of sheepishly
Adverb
  • Precedent thus gave the judge reason to deferentially review settlement terms.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 15 May 2026
  • Scorsese shoots them beautifully and deferentially.
    — Matt Weinstock, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026
Definition of deferentially

Browse Nearby Words

submissive
submissively
submissiveness
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Cite this Entry

“Submissively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/submissively. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

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