obedient

adjective obe·di·ent \-ənt\

: willing to do what someone tells you to do or to follow a law, rule, etc. : willing to obey

Full Definition of OBEDIENT

: submissive to the restraint or command of authority : willing to obey

— obe·di·ent·ly adverb

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Origin of OBEDIENT

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin oboedient-, oboediens, from present participle of oboedire to obey

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to OBEDIENT

Synonyms: amenable, biddable, compliant, conformable, docile, law-abiding, submissive, tractable

Antonyms: balky, contrary, contumacious, defiant, disobedient, froward, incompliant, insubordinate, intractable, noncompliant, obstreperous, rebel, rebellious, recalcitrant, refractory, restive, unamenable, ungovernable, unruly, untoward, wayward, willful (or wilful)

Synonym Discussion of OBEDIENT

obedient, docile, tractable, amenable mean submissive to the will of another. 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>.