docile

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈdɑ.səl/ UK /ˈdəʊ.saɪl/ See IPA manual

Freq #23869

Meanings

1

adj
Quiet and easy to control or manage.

The old horse was docile and let the children ride it without any trouble.
2

adj
Ready and willing to be taught or led.

The teacher was lucky to have such docile pupils, eager to learn whatever she taught.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · quiet and easy to control... gentle compliant obedient meek submissive manageable

2 adj · ready and willing to be... teachable amenable

More biddable complaisant controllable governable indulgentmaniablepassive pliant

Opposites

authoritarian bossy defiant dictatorial dominant domineering imperious incompliantincontrollableindocileintractablenonamenable

Word family

Derived forms docilelydocilenessdocilitydocilizationdocilizenondocileundocile

Related forms docent doctor doctorate doctrinaire doctrinal doctrine document humble indoctrinate

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *deḱ-der. Proto-Italic *dokeō Latin doceō Proto-Indo-European *-elis Proto-Italic *-elis Latin -ilis Latin docilisder. Middle French docilebor. Middle English docyle English docile From Middle English docyle, from Middle French docile, from Latin docilis, from docēre (“teach”). Compare Spanish dócil ("docile").

*deḱ- Proto-Indo-European docyle Middle English docile Middle French docilis Latin

View etymology graph ->

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Describing Qualities

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# docile

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈdɑ.səl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈdəʊ.saɪl/
**Frequency rank:** 23869

## Meanings
1. Quiet and easy to control or manage.
2. Ready and willing to be taught or led.

## Examples
- The old horse was docile and let the children ride it without any trouble.
- The teacher was lucky to have such docile pupils, eager to learn whatever she taught.

## Synonyms
- amenable
- biddable
- complaisant
- compliant
- controllable
- governable
- indulgent
- manageable
- maniable
- meek
- passive
- pliant

## Antonyms
- authoritarian
- bossy
- defiant
- dictatorial
- dominant
- domineering
- imperious
- incompliant
- incontrollable
- indocile
- intractable
- nonamenable

## Derived Forms
- docilely
- docileness
- docility
- docilization
- docilize
- nondocile
- undocile

## Related Forms
- docent
- doctor
- doctorate
- doctrinaire
- doctrinal
- doctrine
- document
- humble
- indoctrinate

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *deḱ-
- Root: docyle
- Root: docile
- Root: docilis

## Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *deḱ-der. Proto-Italic *dokeō Latin doceō Proto-Indo-European *-elis Proto-Italic *-elis Latin -ilis Latin docilisder. Middle French docilebor. Middle English docyle English docile From Middle English docyle, from Middle French docile, from Latin docilis, from docēre (“teach”). Compare Spanish dócil ("docile").

## AI Etymology
Docile is from Middle English docyle, from Middle French docile, from Latin docilis, from docēre (“teach”). Compare Spanish dócil ("docile"). The older chain passes through Proto-Indo-European *deḱ- > Proto-Italic *dokeō > Latin doceō > Proto-Indo-European *-elis > Proto-Italic *-elis > Latin -ilis > Latin docilis > Middle French docile. In present-day use, it can mean quiet and easy to control or manage, or ready and willing to be taught or led. Derived formations include docilely, docileness, docility, docilization, and docilize.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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docile

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