Meaning & use

docility

noun·Advanced

The quality of being easy to manage, teach, or control, and willing to accept guidance.

See it in a sentence

The trainer praised the horse's docility during its first riding lesson.

The new employee's docility made her easy to train, but she rarely offered her own ideas.

A note on using this word

Docility can carry a mildly negative tone when it suggests a lack of independent thought, rather than simply good behavior.

Words with a similar meaning

obediencesubmissiveness

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

defiancestubbornness

Make it your own

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