obedient
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of obedient
1175–1225; Middle English < Old French < Latin oboedient- (stem of oboediēns ), present participle of oboedīre to obey; see -ent
Explanation
If you always do what you’re told, you can be described as obedient. Authority figures love to have obedient followers. When you realize that the word obedient comes from a Latin word meaning “to obey,” it’s easy to remember what obedient means. Use obedient to describe someone who knows the rules, toes the line, and follows instructions. The word can refer to people (an obedient student), a group (obedient citizens), or even animals (an obedient dog).
Vocabulary lists containing obedient
Dog Vocabulary: A Canine Lexicon
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"Two Kinds"
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Drama
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She’s no longer the quietly obedient daughter of authority.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
Descriptors such as "intelligent," "obedient," "good with children," "dedicated," "calm," and "cheerful" appeared with similar frequency in both groups.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 29, 2025
“Sometimes we would just punch it and it would work,” says director Yorgos Lanthimos, who relied on more obedient cameras for past films including his Oscar-nominated “Poor Things” and “The Favourite.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2025
Jon Stewart ended Thursday by hosting a special “government-approved” edition of “The Daily Show,” identifying himself as its “patriotically obedient host.”
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2025
This was a major step away from the old Age of Honey— when a man’s job was to be useful, obedient, and content with his lot in life.
From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
