tame

[ teym ]

adjective

, tam·er, tam·est.

1. changed from the wild or savage state; domesticated:

   a tame bear.

   Antonyms: wild

2. without the savageness or fear of humans normal in wild animals; gentle, fearless, or without shyness, as if domesticated:

   That lion acts as tame as a house cat.

3. tractable, docile, or submissive, as a person or the disposition.

   Synonyms: yielding, obedient, meek

4. lacking in excitement; dull; insipid:

   a very tame party.

   Synonyms: tiresome, tedious, boring, vapid, flat

5. spiritless or pusillanimous.

   Synonyms: fainthearted, dastardly, cowardly

6. not to be taken very seriously; without real power or importance; serviceable but harmless:

   They kept a tame scientist around.

7. brought into service; rendered useful and manageable; under control, as natural resources or a source of power.
8. cultivated or improved by cultivation, as a plant or its fruit.

verb (used with object)

, tamed, tam·ing.

1. to make tame; domesticate; make tractable.

   Synonyms: subdue, break

2. to deprive of courage, ardor, or zest.
3. to deprive of interest, excitement, or attractiveness; make dull.
4. to soften; tone down.

   Synonyms: mollify, moderate, calm

5. to harness or control; render useful, as a source of power.
6. to cultivate, as land or plants.

verb (used without object)

, tamed, tam·ing.

1. to become tame.

tame

/ teɪm /

adjective

1. changed by man from a naturally wild state into a tractable, domesticated, or cultivated condition
2. (of animals) not fearful of human contact
3. lacking in spirit or initiative; meek or submissive

   a tame personality

4. flat, insipid, or uninspiring

   a tame ending to a book

5. slow-moving

   a tame current

verb

1. to make tame; domesticate
2. to break the spirit of, subdue, or curb
3. to tone down, soften, or mitigate

Derived Forms

• ˌtamaˈbility, noun
• ˈtameness, noun
• ˈtamable, adjective
• ˈtameless, adjective
• ˈtamer, noun
• ˈtamely, adverb

Other Words From

• tame·ly adverb
• tame·ness noun
• tam·er noun
• o·ver·tame adjective
• o·ver·tame·ly adverb
• o·ver·tame·ness noun
• un·tame adjective
• un·tame·ly adverb
• un·tame·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tame¹

First recorded before 900; (adjective) Middle English; Old English tam; cognate with Dutch tam, German zahm, Old Norse tamr; (verb) Middle English tamen, derivative of the adjective; replacing Middle English temen “to tame,” Old English temian, derivative of tam; cognate with Old Norse temja, Gothic gatamjan; akin to Latin domāre “to tame”

Word History and Origins

Origin of tame¹

Old English tam; related to Old Norse tamr, Old High German zam

Example Sentences

The sighting was unusual because the beluga was so tame and they're rarely seen as far south.

From BBC

After receiving pictures, she sent "a very tame sexual image, and that’s when everything switched".

From BBC

He didn’t want to be tamed or reduced by the carceral system.

From Salon

“The West was tamed long before Brad Gates became sheriff, but like the lawmen before him, he ensured a rapidly growing county was kept safe.”

From Los Angeles Times

You will cook the sauce long enough to tame the alcohol regardless, and it will taste great either way.

From Salon

Related Words

• docile
• gentle
• harmless
• manageable
• mild
• subdued

More About Tame

What does tame mean?

When an animal is tame, it has been domesticated, a sense metaphorically extended to someone or something considered “subdued,” “boring,” or “mild.”

Tame is also a verb for putting something wild under control. 

Where does tame come from?

Tame, as an adjective, is dated to Old English, when it was used of domesticated animals—to break them of their wild, human-fearing nature—and people or things showing such subdued characteristics. The verb form is recorded by the 1300s.

By metaphorical extension, a person, performance, or work of art that is tame is dismissed as predictable or boring. We’re still calling, say, TV shows tame, though this use of the word (“dull, uninspired”) has been recorded since the 1600s.

Tame notably appears in the title of William Shakespeare’s comedy The Taming of the Shrew, which is about making the titular shrew (or “ill-tempered woman”), Kate, a more agreeable person, shall we say.

How is tame used in real life?

Critics of movies, TV shows, music, and other art forms who are unimpressed by what they’ve seen may describe the work as tame, especially when the work has been billed to be exciting or risqué.

People may also use the verb tame, when not breaking lions for the circus, as a way about bringing “wild” behavior under control. This could be anything from taming unruly hair to taming a spending habit to taming a bad attitude.

More examples of tame:

“Tame Your Money Shame. It’s taboo to talk about financial struggles because our emotions about money run so deep—but naming our feelings around money will help us deepen our relationship with it.”
—Bari Tessler, Mindful, September 2018

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.