tame

[ teym ]

/ teɪm /

See synonyms for: tame / tamed / tamer / taming on Thesaurus.com

adjective, tam·er, tam·est.

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.

verb (used with object), tamed, tam·ing.

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), tamed, tam·ing.

to become tame.

SYNONYMS FOR tame

3 meek, subdued.

4 flat, empty, vapid, boring, tedious, uninteresting.

5 cowardly, dastardly.

9 break, subdue.

12 calm, mollify.

See synonyms for tame on Thesaurus.com

ANTONYMS FOR tame

1 wild.

See antonyms for tame on Thesaurus.com

QUIZZES

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Are you learning Spanish? Or do you just have an interest in foreign languages? Either way, this quiz on Spanish words for animals is for you.

Question 1 of 13

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gato/gata

cato/cata

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Origin of tame

before 900; (adj.) Middle English; Old English tam; cognate with Dutch tam,German zahm,Old Norse tamr; (v.) Middle English tamen, derivative of the adj.; 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

OTHER WORDS FROM tame

tamely, adverbtameness, nountamer, nouno·ver·tame, adjective

o·ver·tame·ly, adverbo·ver·tame·ness, nounun·tame, adjectiveun·tame·ly, adverbun·tame·ness, nounun·tamed, adjectivewell-tamed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for tame

He well knew that the people would not tamely submit to the enforcement of such burdens.
A History of the City of Brooklyn and Kings County Volume II|Stephen M. Ostrander
You would ask, "Shall we tamely acquiesce while the labor unions import the Russian revolution into our very midst?"
Nonsenseorship|G. G. Putnam and Others
Ruin approaches;—shall I tamely meet it, And dally with destruction till it blast me?
The Fatal Falsehood|Hannah More
What would the world have said of me to have been tamely passive, and suffer another to revenge the affront offered to my sister?
The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless|Eliza Haywood

But he commanded himself, and said tamely enough: 'I think it must be kept from my old lady, Wegg.'
Our Mutual Friend|Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for tame

tame

/ (teɪm) /

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 submissivea tame personality

flat, insipid, or uninspiringa tame ending to a book

slow-movinga tame current

verb (tr)

to make tame; domesticate

to break the spirit of, subdue, or curb

to tone down, soften, or mitigate

Derived forms of tame

tamable or tameable, adjectivetamability, tameability, tamableness or tameableness, nountameless, adjectivetamely, adverb

tameness, nountamer, noun

Word Origin for tame

Old English tam; related to Old Norse tamr, Old High German zam

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

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tame

adjective, tam·er, tam·est.

verb (used with object), tamed, tam·ing.

verb (used without object), tamed, tam·ing.

SYNONYMS FOR tame

ANTONYMS FOR tame

QUIZZES

LEARN THE SPANISH WORDS FOR THESE COMMON ANIMALS!

Origin of tame

OTHER WORDS FROM tame

Example sentences from the Web for tame

British Dictionary definitions for tame

adjective

verb (tr)

Derived forms of tame

Word Origin for tame

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

tame

adjective, tam·er, tam·est.

verb (used with object), tamed, tam·ing.

verb (used without object), tamed, tam·ing.

SYNONYMS FOR tame

ANTONYMS FOR tame

QUIZZES

LEARN THE SPANISH WORDS FOR THESE COMMON ANIMALS!

Origin of tame

OTHER WORDS FROM tame

Words related to tame

Example sentences from the Web for tame

British Dictionary definitions for tame

adjective

verb (tr)

Derived forms of tame

Word Origin for tame