tame
Americanadjective
-
tamer,
comparative
-
tamest
superlative
-
changed from the wild or savage state; domesticated.
a tame bear.
- Antonyms:
- wild
-
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.
-
tractable, docile, or submissive, as a person or the disposition.
-
lacking in excitement; dull; insipid.
a very tame party.
-
spiritless or pusillanimous.
- Synonyms:
- fainthearted, dastardly, cowardly
-
not to be taken very seriously; without real power or importance; serviceable but harmless.
They kept a tame scientist around.
-
brought into service; rendered useful and manageable; under control, as natural resources or a source of power.
-
cultivated or improved by cultivation, as a plant or its fruit.
verb (used with object)
-
tames,
present (3rd person singular)
-
tamed,
past participle, past
-
taming
present participle
-
to make tame; domesticate; make tractable.
-
to deprive of courage, ardor, or zest.
-
to deprive of interest, excitement, or attractiveness; make dull.
-
to soften; tone down.
-
to harness or control; render useful, as a source of power.
-
to cultivate, as land or plants.
verb (used without object)
-
tames,
present (3rd person singular)
-
tamed,
past participle, past
-
taming
present participle
adjective
-
changed by man from a naturally wild state into a tractable, domesticated, or cultivated condition
-
(of animals) not fearful of human contact
-
lacking in spirit or initiative; meek or submissive
a tame personality
-
flat, insipid, or uninspiring
a tame ending to a book
-
slow-moving
a tame current
verb
-
to make tame; domesticate
-
to break the spirit of, subdue, or curb
-
to tone down, soften, or mitigate
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
overtamenessnoun
-
tamabilitynoun
-
tamenessnoun
-
tamernoun
-
untamenessnoun
-
overtameadjective
-
tamableadjective
-
tamelessadjective
-
untameadjective
-
overtamelyadverb
-
tamelyadverb
-
untamelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
tamesimple
-
tamessimple
-
have tamedperfect
-
has tamedperfect
-
am tamingprogressive
-
are tamingprogressive
-
is tamingprogressive
-
have been tamingperfect progressive
-
has been tamingperfect progressive
Past
-
tamedsimple
-
had tamedperfect
-
was tamingprogressive
-
were tamingprogressive
-
had been tamingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of tame
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”
Explanation
If something is tame, it cannot surprise or injure you. It’s predictable. Tame can be used as an adjective or verb. A circus lion is tame (adjective) because it’s been tamed (verb). A “lion-tamer” beat the wildness out of it. Sometimes tame isn’t fun — and not just for the bears who ride bicycles under the Big Top. Tame isn’t appealing when you’re going on a rollercoaster or seeing a fireworks display. If a friend tells you a concert is tame, will you rush out for tickets? Tame, however, is not all bad. Some people take anger management courses to learn to “tame their tempers.” Others work to “tame their tongues” after hurting another person with a careless comment.
Vocabulary lists containing tame
Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Forged by Fire
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
BANGKOK—The energy shock has stoked expectations of interest-rate hikes to tame inflation, but Thailand’s central bank has room to wait, a top official says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Despite weakness beneath the surface in the market, the VIX has been pretty tame recently.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 4, 2026
He had three chances in eight minutes - a tame shot, a clipped attempt and then the big one - played in by Gilmour but pulled wide.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
They managed to "tame" the microbe in the laboratory and make it fix N2 at temperatures above 90 °C.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
My mother was always trying to tame it when I was younger.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
"Opting people in by default is not consent," a user said in one of the tamer responses to Twitch's announcement on X.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
I’ll always prefer Mom’s barbecued chicken, fried chicken and French fries, but I have branched out, trying an array of new, relatively tamer foods, ranging from albacore tuna to zucchini.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
If oil prices remain at current levels — obviously a big if — the read on consumer prices for June could be notably tamer.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026
Its energy plan last year unveiled a tamer goal: it wants nuclear power to provide 20% of its electricity needs by 2040.
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2026
It is very apparent that, no, I did not use the frizz tamer that Tía bought me.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
Probably the tamest of Harbaugh’s regular phrases, the coach’s final words in each pregame speech stick with Pipkins the most.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2024
From the lack of snow to the lack of cold, the ongoing winter stands out as one of the tamest in memory in Washington.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 14, 2023
Cats, by contrast, descend from the fiercely antisocial and territorial Near Eastern wildcat, and they largely domesticated themselves, as the tamest cats began to hang out and hunt rodents in early farming villages.
From Science Magazine ● May 9, 2019
At one of the tamest venues you'll find for a major championship, Mickelson labored to a four-over score, 14 shots back of 36-hole leader Gary Woodland and four shots out of the cut.
From Golf Digest ● Aug. 11, 2018
I think that must have been the tamest interaction of all time.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
“Humility,” Keane argues, “is a vital resource that strengthens the powerless and tames the powerful by questioning their claims to superiority.”
From Slate ● Jan. 2, 2026
Love tames them, and as each movie goes on, they go from being utterly ridiculous to having only vague hints of a sense of wonder.
From Salon ● Dec. 13, 2022
Those gains reversed Thursday as investors grappled with the realization the Fed might not be able to give the economy a soft landing that tames inflation while avoiding a recession.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 16, 2022
The growing process also tames the bitterness compared to standard curly endive.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 21, 2022
The tempest quickly flags; A state Ulysses tames 'em with his bags; Let him be what he will, Turk, Pagan, Jew: For Christian ministers of state are few.
From The Poetical Works of Edward Young, Volume 2 by Edward Young
It was the first hurricane of an Atlantic season tamed by a historic El Nino weather phenomenon, and the first hurricane since 2024 to hit the US mainland.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
Opponents in the movie industry say the combined company would slash jobs in already-under-pressure Hollywood and reduce the number of films produced every year, while news media groups fret that CNN's independence could be tamed.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
We learned about the annual return of swallows, admired blooming roses and citrus trees and absorbed a simple story: Spanish conquistadors and Catholic priests tamed a wild land, and we should follow their example.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026
On a true pitch, small ground and with a lightning outfield, England could not be tamed.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
And what could be better and more in line with the Miss Teen Dream mission statement than having them find that we have tamed and beautified this island?
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
On top of that, further rate hikes aimed at taming inflation also risk slowing down the economy.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
For Bengio, taming AI's advance is "an international challenge, a bit like nuclear weapons are an international challenge."
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
The address will seek to restore confidence in the Fed’s commitment to taming inflation, and ease concerns that the absence of forward guidance will undermine stability, Samarra Hammoud, FX strategist at CBA, said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
They’re also proof that pure mathematicians have a role to play in taming the mightiest and riskiest technology of our time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
The gardener was clipping away at the bougainvillea, taming the flowers that defiantly stuck out of the leveled top.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
