docile

[ dos-uhl; British doh-sahyl ]

adjective

1. easily managed or handled; tractable:

   a docile horse.

   Synonyms: obedient, malleable, manageable

2. readily trained or taught; teachable.

docile

/ ˈdəʊsaɪl; dəʊˈsɪlɪtɪ /

adjective

1. easy to manage, control, or discipline; submissive
2. rare.
   ready to learn; easy to teach

Derived Forms

• ˈdocilely, adverb
• docility, noun

Other Words From

• doc·ile·ly adverb
• do·cil·i·ty [do-, sil, -i-tee, doh-], noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of docile¹

First recorded in 1475–85; from Latin docilis “readily taught,” equivalent to doc(ēre) “to teach” + -ilis adjective suffix ( -ile )

Word History and Origins

Origin of docile¹

C15: from Latin docilis easily taught, from docēre to teach

Example Sentences

But the politics, somewhat removed from our familiar red–blue divides, are anything but docile.

From Slate

Guy said his father would generally get rid of animals that were "snappy or nasty" and that the cows in the field had "always acted in a docile manner".

From BBC

An inexperienced attack, the most docile pitch, sun burning hot enough to make statues sweat and a Pakistan captain determined to make up for 10 consecutive winless home matches.

From BBC

Without Root, England would have been in severe trouble, having surprisingly been inserted by Sri Lanka on a docile pitch under blue sky and sunshine.

From BBC

Their misogynist ideology cannot allow that it's attractive when a woman has a personality and isn't just a docile helpmeet.

From Salon

Related Words

• easygoing
• gentle
• laid-back
• meek
• obedient
• pliable
• pliant
• well-behaved