domesticated

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Tamed and bred over many generations to live with and be useful to humans.

   Grammar: Describes animals or plants; can be used before a noun or after a linking verb like 'be' or 'become'.

   Patterns

   • domesticated animals
   • be domesticated
   • become domesticated

   Dogs are domesticated animals that have lived with humans for thousands of years.

   These plants are domesticated varieties of wild grasses.

   The horse was domesticated around 5,000 years ago.

2. 2adjectivecomparable

   Used to living with humans and no longer wild; said of an individual animal.

   Grammar: Often used after a linking verb to describe a particular animal's behavior.

   Patterns

   • be domesticated
   • become domesticated

   The fox was domesticated and would eat from your hand.

   Even domesticated cats can revert to wild behavior if abandoned.

Word forms

Common combinations

domesticated animal

Cows are domesticated animals raised for milk and meat.

domesticated species

The domesticated species of wheat has larger grains than the wild type.

fully domesticated

The dog is considered fully domesticated.

become domesticated

Some wild animals become domesticated when raised by humans.

Synonyms and how they differ

tame

Describes an individual animal that is used to humans, not a whole species bred over generations.

cultivated

Used for plants that are grown by people, not for animals.

Opposites

Word family

domesticate verb

To tame and breed an animal or plant for human use.

domestication noun

The process of taming and breeding animals or plants.

Commonly confused: domesticated or domestic?

Practice

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