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
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 submissively
Outwardly Smart behaved submissively, following her captors’ instructions while always looking for a way to escape.
—
Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026
Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for submissively
Adverb
-
Among all these elaborate and painstakingly studied novelties, loaves of barbari, the bread that kicked it off, await almost humbly.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
-
Our journey began humbly in 1983 with high-stakes bingo.—
Cody J Martinez,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Whether a man chose to use that pistol or meekly give up the money to a robber was up to him.—
Richard Selcer,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Apr. 2026
-
That was checkmate, as Martinez grounded out meekly to end the season.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
The top candidates in California’s wide-open race for governor took the stage Wednesday night in a Los Angeles debate that began politely but quickly devolved into another raucous clash.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
-
When her mom politely declined, Heath turned to Press.—
Asli Pelit,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Adverb
-
Lateef sheepishly raked his hand through his hair.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Kayumi then appeared to sheepishly shrink in his chair.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
9 Mar. 2026
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
Cite this Entry
“Submissively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/submissively. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
