Docile students have always made teaching easier than it otherwise would be. Today calling students "docile" indicates that they aren't trouble-makers, but there's more than just good behavior connecting docility to teachability. The original meaning of docile is more to the point: "readily absorbing something taught." "The docile mind may soon thy precepts know," rendered Ben Jonson, for example, in a 17th-century translation of the Roman poet Horace. Docile comes from the Latin verb docēre, which means "to teach." Other descendants of docēre include doctrine (which can mean "something that is taught"), document (an early meaning of which was "instruction"), and doctor and docent (both of which can refer to teachers).
obedient implies compliance with the demands or requests of one in authority.
obedient to the government
docile implies a predisposition to submit readily to control or guidance.
a docile child
tractable suggests having a character that permits easy handling or managing.
tractable animals
amenable suggests a willingness to yield or cooperate because of a desire to be agreeable or because of a natural open-mindedness.
amenable to new ideas
Examples of docile in a Sentence
In the course of a single month, from Annie's arrival to her triumph in bridling the household despot, Helen [Keller] had grown docile, affectionate, and tirelessly intent on learning from moment to moment.—Cynthia Ozick, New Yorker, 16 & 23 June 2003Africanized honeybees look like the European honeybees now commonly found in our gardens, and like their relatives, they make honey. They are fairly docile when they are foraging, but they defend their nests ferociously.—Lynn Ocone, Sunset, February 1994
His students were docile and eager to learn.
a docile young pony that went wherever it was led
Recent Examples on the WebNobody, a box office hit in 2021, followed Hutch Mansell (Odenkirk), a docile family man who slowly reveals his true character after his house gets burgled, leading him into a bloody war with a Russian crime boss.—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 31 July 2024 Police picked up a docile McCowen at his rooming house, lying on the bed, watching cartoons; marijuana and an open bottle of prescription pain killers were on the table nearby.—Susan Spencer, CBS News, 6 July 2024 These 32 miles of sugary sand beaches and docile Gulf of Mexico waves captured our readers hearts.—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 28 June 2024 This time around, his co-partisans are even more docile.—Catherine Rampell, Washington Post, 18 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for docile
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'docile.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Latin docilis, from docēre to teach; akin to Latin decēre to be fitting — more at decent
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