tame

[teym]

adjective

tamer, tamest 

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, taming 

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, taming 

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

Other Word Forms

• tamely adverb
• tameness noun
• tamer noun
• overtame adjective
• overtamely adverb
• overtameness noun
• untame adjective
• untamely adverb
• untameness noun
• tamability noun
• tamable adjective
• tameless adjective

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 annual holiday, scores of street renamings and public murals honor him, but they also tame his legacy into a universally palatable story of unity.

Read more on Salon

And American player Collin Morikawa says after a "tame" start to the week he hopes "Friday is just absolute chaos" from the home fans.

Read more on BBC

“The Lowdown” tames Lee’s mania for his cause through the barely obscured current of hangdog defeat weakly powering his personal life.

Read more on Salon

It's a charge that is resonating across the Philippines, where people are asking why the government cannot tame the floods with the billions of pesos it pours into infrastructure like roads, bridges and embankments.

Read more on BBC

Dobson believed children to be little performers who manipulate adults and need to be tamed.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• conquer 
• curb 
• pacify 
• restrain 
• soften 
• subdue 
• suppress 
• temper 
• vanquish 

When To Use

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.