WordValesubmissive
meekly obedient
In more detail
1. (adjective) willing to obey or comply with someone; not resisting authority
2. (adjective) showing a tendency to yield to the will of others; meek or passive
Examples
- 1. She had a submissive attitude toward her manager and always followed orders without question.
- 2. He was too submissive to stand up for his own ideas in meetings.
How to use submissive
Submissive describes someone who readily yields to others' authority or will, often implying passivity. It tends to carry negative connotations in Western contexts emphasizing individual agency, though it can be neutral when describing appropriate obedience in hierarchical relationships. It differs from obedient, which simply means following orders, in suggesting a more fundamental unwillingness to resist or assert oneself.
Common phrases
- submissive attitude
- submissive behavior
- submissive to authority
- submissive role
- remain submissive
Synonyms
obedient · compliant · docile · deferential · tractable
Opposites
defiant · rebellious · assertive
Word family
submit · submission · submissively · submissiveness
A common mistake
Learners sometimes use submissive when they mean 'subordinate' or 'lower in rank', but submissive refers to a willing attitude of compliance rather than a position in a hierarchy.
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