docilely
- adverb
- /ˈdɑːsɪli/
- The students listened docilely as the teacher explained the new rules.
- docilely accepted
- docilely follow
- stood docilely
She talks about Southern planters, considering that the Africans who docilely submitted to their paternalism were grown up children.
- She talks about Southern planters, considering that the Africans who docilely submitted to their paternalism were grown up children.
Examples
-
The brown wombat followed along docilely, a blank look in his eyes.
Fiction book (1992) -
"Yes ma'am," says Jolie-Gray docilely.
Fiction book (2000) -
I was following docilely, like a lamb to some unknown slaughter, as a man I hardly knew led me to a place of his choosing.
Fiction book (1993) -
The dragons eat the biscuits, then docilely follow Ali Baba into the cave, leaving Abdul at the entrance.
Fiction book (2000) -
The mare stood docilely, her halter shank released and her head sagging toward a green shock of hay.
Fiction book (2000) -
He had the feeling that if he suddenly snatched her plate from in front of her, she would accept it docilely as though the few mouthfuls she'd taken were all she deserved.
Fiction book (1991) -
Seemingly uninterested in his surroundings, the old gelding docilely allowed Eddie to lead him around the ring, plodding along, head down, like an old customs clerk going back to work.
Fiction book (1990) -
The dog followed his owner docilely, happy to obey every command.
-
After a brief hesitation, the child docilely accepted the request to tidy up his toys.
Synonyms
In a willing way to do what someone says
In a quiet, gentle, humble way without arguing
In a helpful and willing way
In a quiet, humble way that shows you obey someone
In a quiet way that does not try to resist
In a way that follows rules or instructions
You do what someone tells you without asking questions
In a way that is too eager to please someone
Antonyms
How Obediently
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Docilely comes from the Latin verb docere meaning 'to teach' and the adjective docilis meaning 'easy to teach'. So think of someone who is 'easy to teach' and who quietly follows instructions, which is why docilely means doing something in a quiet, obedient way.