adjective
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patient, long-suffering, or submissive in disposition or nature; humble
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spineless or spiritless; compliant
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an obsolete word for gentle
Usage
What does meek mean? When used in a positive way, meek describes someone who shows patient restraint. When used negatively, it means overly submissive.The positive sense of meek implies that someone is able to remain calm and subdued even when being provoked. Its negative use is perhaps more common, and is intended to indicate that someone is being too passive. The word meek is often associated with Christian virtues due to its use in a well-known Bible passage.Example: I know you’re naturally reserved, but you can’t be so meek during job interviews.
Related Words
See gentle.
Other Word Forms
- meekly adverb
- meekness noun
- overmeek adjective
Etymology
Origin of meek
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English meke, meoc, from Old Norse mjūkr “soft, mild, meek”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
New England still glows from two triumphant decades with Tom Brady, its chisel-cheeked, carb-shunning, Super Bowl quarterback turned glambot who lifted the meek Patriots from laughingstock to trophy-hoarding Godzilla.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026
There’s a single-panel comic by the artist Paul Noth that pokes fun at researchers’ meek attempts.
From Slate • Jan. 30, 2026
A stunned England woke Sunday to savage criticism after their meek capitulation in the first Ashes Test, branded "brainless" and "damaged" by former greats after their cavalier approach backfired.
From Barron's • Nov. 23, 2025
It was the type of meek resistance usually saved for the end of an Ashes tour when heads are scrambled.
From BBC • Sep. 2, 2025
Was she a meek, obedient little woman, or someone like Mrs. Cutler, who would rule him as he ruled the girls under his watchful eye?
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
