tamed

[teymd]

adjective

1. (of animals) changed from the wild or savage state, so as to be gentle and unafraid of humans; domesticated.

   If released into the wild, a tamed lion is an easy target for hunters.

2. (of a person or disposition) made tractable, docile, or submissive.

   My whole life I have struggled not to become the tamed child of institutionalized education.

3. (of natural resources, etc.) brought under control and into service; made useful and manageable.

   When the dam was complete and the tamed river swelled into a lake, steamboats plied its waters for excursions.

4. deprived of excitement, interest, attractiveness, or risk; made safe and dull.

   According to Kloosterman, a “fully tamed city” is not just boring, but also stiffening—it stifles flexibility.

5. deprived of courage, ardor, or zest.

   Tamed faith cannot dispel shame or reach out to lovingly reclaim someone who has gone astray.

6. (of land or plants) cultivated.

   The vine is a tamed plant; its growth rate, amount of foliage, and fruit production are closely controlled by pruning and thinning.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of tame.

Other Word Forms

• untamed adjective
• well-tamed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tamed¹

First recorded in 1580–90; tame + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; tame + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

Dobson believed children to be little performers who manipulate adults and need to be tamed.

From Salon

On the one hand Klopp's 'heavy metal' football was tamed by an appreciation of territorial dominance, on the other Guardiola used Klopp's ideas to adapt to the rough-and-tumble of Premier League life.

From BBC

Boris Previsic, the director of the University of Lucerne's Institute for the Culture of the Alps, says that many Swiss, at least in the cities, had begun to believe they had tamed the alpine environment.

From BBC

While the field toiled on a day for golfing purists, Burns proved Oakmont could be tamed by making a mockery of its grisly challenge.

From BBC

"I screamed out for the falconer to come and help, and he came and tamed it."

From BBC

Related Words

• beaten 
• crushed www.thesaurus.com