submissive

[suhb-mis-iv]

See more synonyms for submissive on Thesaurus.com

adjective

inclined or ready to submit or yield to the authority of another; unresistingly or humbly obedient: submissive servants.
marked by or indicating submission or an instance of yielding to the authority of another: a submissive reply.

Origin of submissive

First recorded in 1580–90; submiss + -ive

Related formssub·mis·sive·ly, adverbsub·mis·sive·ness, nounnon·sub·mis·sive, adjectivenon·sub·mis·sive·ly, adverbnon·sub·mis·sive·ness, nounqua·si-sub·mis·sive, adjectivequa·si-sub·mis·sive·ly, adverbun·sub·mis·sive, adjectiveun·sub·mis·sive·ly, adverbun·sub·mis·sive·ness, noun

Synonyms for submissive

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1. tractable, compliant, pliant, amenable. 2. passive, resigned, patient, docile, tame, subdued.

Antonyms for submissive

1. rebellious, disobedient.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for submissive

meek, accommodating, deferential, passive, obedient, dutiful, abject, amenable, docile, domesticated, humble, ingratiating, lowly, malleable, menial, obeisant, obsequious, patient, pliable, pliant

Examples from the Web for submissive

Contemporary Examples of submissive

Many young women in the BDSM subculture find their way into a dominant role, whether coming from a submissive standpoint or not.
Dungeons and Genital Clamps: Inside a Legendary BDSM Chateau
Ian Frisch
December 20, 2014
There are three types of cuckolded men: the submissive, forced bisexual, and the voyeurs.
The Cuckolding Fetish: When Your Wife’s Cheating Turns You On
Aurora Snow
February 22, 2014
They do it because they want women to be submissive, second-class citizen.
Harassment Of Women Is Nothing New—The Internet Just Makes It Easier
Amanda Marcotte
January 17, 2014
Girls were raised to marry early, to be submissive, to mother large families, and to find employment to support all of them.
Israel’s Religious Zionist Vs. Ultra-Orthodox Rift
Rabbi Daniel Landes
February 7, 2013
But they could come up with a competitive candidate who would be neither the dominant Berlusconi nor the submissive Alfano.
Brace Yourself, Italy’s Politicians Will Soon Return
Barbie Latza Nadeau
November 4, 2012

Historical Examples of submissive

There was something about her eyes not unlike the dog's expression, submissive, but questioning.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
The officers then could not abide him, though some were submissive to him because of his father's position.
In the Valley
Harold Frederic
It has been questioned, however, whether in this instance he was not too submissive.
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. I
Francis Augustus Cox
And I wait, submissive to His will, for nothing happens unless He wills it.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
The man, the most submissive; the woman, the most affectionate.
Slavery Ordained of God
Rev. Fred A. Ross, D.D.

British Dictionary definitions for submissive

submissive

adjective

of, tending towards, or indicating submission, humility, or servility

Derived Formssubmissively, adverbsubmissiveness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for submissive

adj.

1580s, "inclined to submit," from Latin submiss-, past participle stem of submittere (see submission) + -ive. Masochistic sexual sense is attested by 1969. As a noun in this sense, by 1985. Related: Submissively; submissiveness.