as in obedience
a readiness or willingness to yield to the wishes of others
his uncharacteristic submissiveness to the doctor's advice must mean he's really sick
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Recent Examples of submissiveness
But for Coles, his indoctrination to law enforcement has been a different level of submissiveness.
—
Dan Pompei, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025
In Killers of the Flower Moon, his Ernest Burkhart starts off as a mopey, weak-minded World War One veteran, eager to do anything for his godfather uncle (Robert De Niro), but there’s still a certain likability to his dim-bulb submissiveness.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2025
Dan Pompei, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025
In Killers of the Flower Moon, his Ernest Burkhart starts off as a mopey, weak-minded World War One veteran, eager to do anything for his godfather uncle (Robert De Niro), but there’s still a certain likability to his dim-bulb submissiveness.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for submissiveness
Noun
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With dogma filling school days, students aren’t being educated and are left intellectually unprepared for much but obedience.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
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The Dynamics of Leadership and Followership The military rigorously develops individuals in both leading and supporting roles, not through blind obedience, but through skillful contribution.—
Heather V. MacArthur,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Passage of this resolution was tantamount to acquiescence by Congress, granting the president the authority to respond militarily by sending thousands of troops to fight in Vietnam.—
Richard Cherwitz,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Jan. 2026
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Despite that goal, the Utah Legislature’s Republican supermajority, with Cox’s acquiescence, has taken a hard turn against solar power — which has been coming online faster than any other source in Utah and accounts for two-thirds of the new projects waiting to connect to the state’s power grid.—
Anjeanette Damon,
ProPublica,
12 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Submissiveness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/submissiveness. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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