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单词 docile
释义

docile

adjective

doc·​ile ˈdä-səl How to pronounce docile (audio)
 also  -ˌsī(-ə)l,
 especially British  ˈdō-ˌsī(-ə)l
1
: easily taught
a docile pupil
2
: easily led or managed : tractable
a docile pony
docilely
ˈdä-sə(l)-lē How to pronounce docile (audio)
adverb
docility
dä-ˈsi-lə-tē How to pronounce docile (audio)
dō-
noun

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Ready to learn the origin of docile?

Docile students can make teaching a lot easier. Nowadays, calling students "docile" indicates they aren't trouble-makers; however, there's more than just good behavior connecting docility to teachability. The original meaning of docile is more to the point: "readily absorbing something taught." "The docile mind may soon thy precepts know," rendered Ben Jonson, for example, in a 17th-century translation of the Roman poet Horace. Docile comes from Latin docēre, which means "to teach." Other descendants of docēre include doctrine (which can mean "something that is taught"), document (an early meaning of which was "instruction"), and doctor and docent (both of which can refer to college teachers).

Synonyms

  • amenable
  • biddable
  • compliant
  • conformable
  • law-abiding
  • obedient
  • submissive
  • tractable
See all Synonyms & Antonyms

Example Sentences

In the course of a single month, from Annie's arrival to her triumph in bridling the household despot, Helen [Keller] had grown docile, affectionate, and tirelessly intent on learning from moment to moment. Cynthia Ozick, New Yorker, 16 & 23 June 2003 Africanized honeybees look like the European honeybees now commonly found in our gardens, and like their relatives, they make honey. They are fairly docile when they are foraging, but they defend their nests ferociously. Lynn Ocone, Sunset, February 1994 His students were docile and eager to learn. a docile young pony that went wherever it was led
Recent Examples on the Web Sheep—docile, ravenous and just the right height—easily smoked the field. Amrith Ramkumar, WSJ, 5 Sep. 2022 In the early 1990s, once Africanized bees began taking over European beehives in southern Arizona, his hives were Africanized and his once docile bees became aggressive. Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 12 Aug. 2022 While some shades of pink feel docile, soothing, and domestic, shocking pink is anything but. Katy Kelleher, refinery29.com, 14 July 2022 Not many people want to stick out their necks or take a position on certain issues, hence a docile approach to decision-making. Abiola Salami, Forbes, 28 June 2022 During the monsoon season, torrential rains turn docile rivers into raging waterways, and people rely on centuries-old bridges to access farms, schools, and markets. Anne Pinto-rodrigues, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 June 2022 Kleopfer said eastern kingsnakes are quite docile and seldom bite when handled but will typically just vibrate their tail. Dana Hedgpeth, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2022 If this was easier to do in France than the United States, the difference may lie more in the latter country’s decentralized legislative power than in the French citizenry’s docile nature. Justin E. H. Smith, Harper’s Magazine , 25 May 2022 Will Speaker Nancy Pelosi now herd them across it like a docile flock of lambs? The Editorial Board, WSJ, 31 July 2022 See More

Word History

Etymology

Latin docilis, from docēre to teach; akin to Latin decēre to be fitting — more at decent

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

docile

adjective

doc·​ile ˈdä-səl How to pronounce docile (audio)
: easily taught, led, or managed
a docile horse

docile

adjective

as in obedient
readily giving in to the command or authority of another a docile young pony that went wherever it was led

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
  • obedient
  • submissive
  • compliant
  • restrained
  • tractable
  • meek
  • biddable
  • gentle
  • amenable
  • soft
  • tame
  • acquiescent
  • controllable
  • conformable
  • amiable
  • decorous
  • dutiful
  • obliging
  • law-abiding
  • repressed
  • subservient
  • servile
  • agreeable
  • obsequious
  • subordinate
  • placable
  • governable
  • fawning
  • orderly
  • slavish
  • disciplined
  • obeisant
  • mannerly
  • yielding
  • manageable
  • surrendering
  • constrained
  • duteous
  • mild
  • trainable
  • kowtowing
  • teachable
  • inhibited
  • handleable
  • curbed
  • disciplinable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

  • unruly
  • defiant
  • rebellious
  • restive
  • willful
  • disobedient
  • wilful
  • recalcitrant
  • obstreperous
  • wayward
  • stubborn
  • ungovernable
  • contumacious
  • obstinate
  • insubordinate
  • intractable
  • contrary
  • mutinous
  • refractory
  • headstrong
  • wild
  • unamenable
  • obdurate
  • noncompliant
  • uncontrollable
  • defiant
  • balky
  • unyielding
  • peevish
  • resistant
  • hardheaded
  • unmanageable
  • froward
  • rebel
  • mulish
  • untoward
  • mischievous
  • insurgent
  • dogged
  • pigheaded
  • perverse
  • incompliant
  • self-willed
  • bad
  • naughty
  • disorderly
  • undisciplined
  • balky
  • insolent
  • impudent
  • errant
  • rude
  • nonconformist
  • disrespectful
  • dissident
  • impolite
  • misbehaving
  • ill-bred
  • ill-mannered
See More

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of docile are amenable, obedient, and tractable. While all these words mean "submissive to the will of another," docile implies a predisposition to submit readily to control or guidance.

a docile child

The words amenable and docile are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, amenable suggests a willingness to yield or cooperate because of a desire to be agreeable or because of a natural open-mindedness.

amenable to new ideas

The synonyms obedient and docile are sometimes interchangeable, but obedient implies compliance with the demands or requests of one in authority.

obedient to the government

The words tractable and docile can be used in similar contexts, but tractable suggests having a character that permits easy handling or managing.

tractable animals
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更新时间:2024/12/23 14:07:22