as in obedient
readily giving in to the command or authority of another
it's not in her nature to be submissive
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Recent Examples of submissive
Even literary heroes had been growing more submissive, Whyte claimed.
—
David Merritt Johns, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2025
The country wasn’t being run, and laws weren’t being made, by people who endorse the idea of submissive women with great enthusiasm.
—Megan Angelo, Glamour, 20 Oct. 2025
Additionally, religious leaders believed that the long toes prevented people from kneeling in a respectful, submissive manner and so restricted the ability to properly pray.
—Michael Watson, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2025
The titillating drama explores the complexities of dominant-submissive relationships and fetishes, as Ray gets aroused by making Colin lick his boots, buy his groceries and sleep at the foot of his bed.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for submissive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for submissive
obedient
Adjective
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The generals reduced even their limited need for an obedient prime minister.—
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Since Francoism promoted an image of women as obedient wives and self-sacrificing mothers devoted to the Catholic family model, Republican women were demonized as immoral, dangerous and unworthy of motherhood.—
Cite this Entry
“Submissive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/submissive. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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