tame
Americanadjective
-
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)
-
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)
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
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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
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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.
See Examples For:
Did you always know you possess the kind of voice that could tame a wild lion?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Warsh has to tame excess inflation — ruling out near-term rate reductions — and ideally avoid steep rate increases that make credit even more costly to obtain.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Many say they were moved by his pledges to tame inflation, rebuild U.S. infrastructure, cut red tape and trim government waste.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
The tame inflation data will raise hopes that the ECB's rate rise earlier this month -- the first since 2023 -- will not need to be repeated.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
“If all the maids in Kyrria could tame ogres,” Char said, “we would have much less to do.”
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
Looking ahead: “The catch-up consumer spending and inflation data for October and November paint a picture of robust consumer spending amid tamer inflation,” Kathy Bostjancic, Nationwide chief economist, said in a note to clients.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 22, 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
And while both fairs were tamer this year than they have been in the past, there was still plenty to celebrate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025
If he’s the wrangler, she seeks to be the tamer, the intuitive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2024
And I saw Leda, wife of Tyndareus, upon whom Tyndareus had sired twins indomitable: Kastor, tamer of horses, and Polydeukes, best in the boxing ring.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
“They took the tamest, nicest goats that would have come up to them,” said Dan Drake, the owner of Drake Family Farms in Ontario.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2024
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
Yes, he says, even Bill’s tamest admonishments have outraged some readers who don’t want a stick figure policing them.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 21, 2016
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
As long as an interpretation follows a story’s spirit as it tames sprawling storylines into narratives we can wrap our heads around, people are willing to forgive a great deal.
From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2024
A quick blanch in boiling water tames the chiles’ heat but won’t affect their subtle fruity flavor.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 14, 2023
Also: If you can temporarily assume other tasks for him as he tames his stress, that would be an act of good faith.
From Washington Post ● May 1, 2023
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 Young, Edward
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
There was a strong feeling the Pennsylvania course might be ripe for being tamed.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
Senators from both parties are likely to press him on how he squares that vision with an economy where inflation hasn’t yet been fully tamed.
From Barron's ● Apr. 14, 2026
Dusty May and the basketball Wolverines have tamed the wild, remunerated new era of college sports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
European settlers, such as those that I encounter in New Guinea with pet kangaroos and possums, have tamed or made pets of many local mammals, just as have indigenous peoples.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Her father Alberto, who ruled from 1990 to 2000, won praise for crushing Maoist rebels and taming hyperinflation.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
WSJ | Buy Side: Anker’s multiport charger keeps everything powered while taming cables.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
A mild-mannered pastor, Kenny appears to be the reason for the taming — Shyanne doesn’t want to scare him off by showing too much of her real self.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026
Each of those areas is packed with side quests and activities, ranging from fishing and arm wrestling to taming animals.
From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026
How could I explain to Anatole about soybean fields where men sat in huge tractors like kings on thrones, taming the soil from one horizon to the other?
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
