docile
Definitions
Ready to accept control or instruction; submissive and easy to manage
温顺的；驯服的；听话的
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedFrom Latin docilis (docēre 'teach' + -ilis 'able to be') = 'teachable, easily taught.' A docile mind takes instruction without resistance. Over centuries the word drifted from 'quick to learn' to 'quick to obey,' giving today's sense: submissive, compliant, easy to control.
Root doctor still carries 7 more wordsWhy It Means This
Docile is a quiet example of meaning-drift inside the doctor family. Its root sense is 'teachable' (docēre = teach), but English readers rarely connect the two because the modern meaning, 'obedient,' has moved so far from the classroom. The bridge: a teachable person accepts what they're told — and that easily becomes 'submissive.'
Common Collocations
- 1.docile animal温顺的动物
- 2.docile temperament温驯的性情
- 3.remarkably docile异常听话
- 4.docile workforce驯服的劳动力
Example Sentences
- 1.
The pony was so docile that even small children could ride it.
- 2.
The teacher preferred a docile class that never questioned her.
- 3.
Years of strict rules had made the workers quiet and docile.
Synonym Comparison
- docile — easily managed, accepts control without resistance (neutral to mildly negative)
- obedient — actively does what it's told, follows orders
- submissive — yields to others' will, often implies weakness or subjection
- meek — gentle and unassertive by nature, quiet
- compliant — agrees and goes along, often to avoid conflict