OBEDIENT Synonyms: 103 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'obedient' different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of obedient are amenable , docile , and tractable . While all these words mean "submissive to the will of another," obedient implies compliance with the demands or requests of one in authority. // obedient to the government

Q: When is 'amenable' a more appropriate choice than 'obedient'?

The words amenable and obedient can be used in similar contexts, but 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

Q: When is it sensible to use 'docile' instead of 'obedient'?

Although the words docile and obedient have much in common, docile implies a predisposition to submit readily to control or guidance. // a docile child

Q: Where would 'tractable' be a reasonable alternative to 'obedient'?

In some situations, the words tractable and obedient are roughly equivalent. However, tractable suggests having a character that permits easy handling or managing. // tractable animals

obedient

adjective

ō-ˈbē-dē-ənt

Definition of obedient next

as in docile

readily giving in to the command or authority of another that boy is so obedient that he does everything the first time he is asked

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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How is the word obedient different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of obedient are amenable, docile, and tractable. While all these words mean "submissive to the will of another," obedient implies compliance with the demands or requests of one in authority.

obedient to the government

When is amenable a more appropriate choice than obedient?

The words amenable and obedient can be used in similar contexts, but 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

When is it sensible to use docile instead of obedient?

Although the words docile and obedient have much in common, docile implies a predisposition to submit readily to control or guidance.

a docile child

Where would tractable be a reasonable alternative to obedient?

In some situations, the words tractable and obedient are roughly equivalent. However, tractable suggests having a character that permits easy handling or managing.

tractable animals

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of obedient Even so, our exercises did not suggest that any authoritarian would command a uniformly obedient federal workforce. —

Barton Gellman, Washington Post, 30 July 2024 In this election year, there is nothing more slavishly obedient than indifference. —

Robert Repino, Baltimore Sun, 26 July 2024 Most Christians view these verses as anachronistic and subject to historical context, much like other Biblical passages on stoning adulterers to death and ordering slaves to be obedient to their masters. —

Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker, 12 June 2024 The tennis balls had been stashed away safely by the time 2,500 dogs and their obedient human entourages overtook the U.S.T.A. —

Callie Holtermann, New York Times, 13 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for obedient

Recent Examples of Synonyms for obedient

Adjective

Israeli medical specialists have concluded some hostages released in an earlier truce were drugged to keep them docile.

— Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2025
Mark shares that this is his first time encountering an elf owl and explains how these tiny, docile birds lead secluded lives, often nesting in saguaro cactus cavities made by woodpeckers.

— Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 16 Dec. 2024