tame
- changed from the wild or savage state; domesticated: a tame bear.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- to become tame.
Origin of tame
Synonyms for tame
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comAntonyms for tame
Related Words for tame
subdued, gentle, harmless, mild, docile, manageable, boring, weak, bland, bloodless, feeble, subdue, suppress, restrain, soften, conquer, pacify, curb, temper, vanquishExamples from the Web for tame
Contemporary Examples of tame
Her Facebook photos could populate a tame “girls with guns” style calendar.
He was widely perceived as having been outplayed by a vast military bureaucracy that he never sought to tame.
Hagel Takes a Bullet for Obama: Inside the Defense Secretary’s Sudden FiringShane Harris, Tim Mak
November 24, 2014
That's tame compared to the C-word and racism other Republicans have thrown on the social network.
He left the crowd with a Greek aphorism—“to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world.”
I had just gotten my braces off and was learning how to tame my hair with a curling iron.
Historical Examples of tame
A tame egret ruffled her white plumes at the Princess's shoulder.
The Trail BookMary Austin
Reminds me of a cat'mount I tried to tame once, only he's twice as ugly.
The UnderdogF. Hopkinson Smith
But those d—-d fellows learn of the mad doctors how to tame us.
Night and Morning, CompleteEdward Bulwer-Lytton
But we know that our dull circle must seem tame to one who has seen so much.
Alice, or The Mysteries, CompleteEdward Bulwer-Lytton
Love is not comfort, nor house, nor lands, nor the tame delights of use and wont.
The Hunted OutlawAnonymous
tame
- 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 submissivea tame personality
- flat, insipid, or uninspiringa tame ending to a book
- slow-movinga tame current
- to make tame; domesticate
- to break the spirit of, subdue, or curb
- to tone down, soften, or mitigate
Word Origin for tame
Word Origin and History for tame
Old English tom, tam "domesticated, docile," from Proto-Germanic *tamaz (cf. Old Norse tamr, Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Middle Low German, Middle Dutch tam, Old High German zam, German zahm "tame," Gothic tamjan "to tame"), from PIE *deme- "to constrain, to force, to break (horses)" (cf. Sanskrit damayati "tames;" Persian dam "a tame animal;" Greek daman "to tame, subdue," dmetos "tame;" Latin domare "to tame, subdue;" Old Irish damnaim "I tie up, fasten, I tame, subdue"). Possible ulterior connection with PIE *dem- "house, household" (see domestic). Meaning "spiritless, weak, dull" is recorded from c.1600.
early Middle English teme, from Old English temian "make tame" (see tame (adj.)); form altered 14c. by influence of the adjective. Related: Tamed; taming.