Meanings
meek1
comparative meeker · superlative meekest
- Humble, non-boastful, modest, meager, or self-effacing.
Blessed are the meeke: for they shall inherit the earth.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 5:51 more example
Mrs. Wickam was a meek woman...who was always ready to pity herself, or to be pitied, or to pity anybody else...
1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, “Chapter 8”, in Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLCSynonyms: abased, demure, verecund, abased, demure, diffident, humble, humble-hearted
- Submissive, dispirited, cowed.
What if they were wolves instead of lambs? They'd eat her all the sooner if she was meek to them. Fight or be eaten.
1920, Sinclair Lewis, Main Street: The Story of Carol Kennicott, New York, N.Y.: Harcourt, Brace and Howe, →OCLCSynonyms: compliant, passive, abject, servile, amenable, biddable, complaisant, compliant
present singular third person meeks · participle present meeking · participle past meeked · past meeked
Meek2
- A surname.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveHumble, non-boastful, modest, meager, or self-effacing.
adjectiveSubmissive, dispirited, cowed.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivehumble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness
adjectiveevidencing little spirit or courage; overly submissive or compliant
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*mewg-
- Proto-Germanic*meukaz
- Old Norsemjúkr“soft; meek”
- Middle Englishmeek
- Englishmeek
From Middle English meek, meke, meoc, probably a borrowing from Old Norse mjúkr (“soft; meek”), from Proto-Germanic *meukaz, *mūkaz (“soft; supple”), from Proto-Indo-European *mewg-, *mewk- (“slick, slippery; to slip”); compare Old English smēag (“subtle, stealthy, etc.”) and smūgan. Cognate with Swedish and Norwegian Nynorsk mjuk (“soft”), Norwegian Bokmål myk (“soft”), and Danish myg (“supple”), Dutch muik (“soft, overripe”), dialectal German mauch (“dry and decayed, rotten”), Mauche (“malanders”). Compare as well Welsh mwyth (“soft, weak”), Latin ēmungō (“to blow one's nose”), Tocharian A muk- (“to let go, give up”), Lithuanian mùkti (“to slip away from”), Ancient Greek μύσσομαι (mússomai, “to blow the nose”), Sanskrit मु॒ञ्चति॑ (muñcáti, “to release, let loose”).
More words from Middle English, Old Norse, Proto-Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek πρᾶος
- πρᾶος (prâos)humble, modest, or self-effacing
Bulgarian мек, кротък
- мек (mek)humble, modest, or self-effacing
- кротък (krotăk)humble, modest, or self-effacing
- смирен (smiren)submissive, dispirited
- покорен (pokoren)submissive, dispirited
Czech skromný, mírný
- skromnýhumble, modest, or self-effacing
- mírnýhumble, modest, or self-effacing
- pokornýhumble, modest, or self-effacing
- poddajnýsubmissive, dispirited
- pokornýsubmissive, dispirited
- mírnýsubmissive, dispirited
- tichýsubmissive, dispirited
Danish ydmyg, sagtmodig
- ydmyghumble, modest, or self-effacing
- sagtmodighumble, modest, or self-effacing
Dutch gedwee, zachtmoedig
- gedweehumble, modest, or self-effacing
- zachtmoedighumble, modest, or self-effacing
Finnish nöyrä, vaatimaton
- nöyrähumble, modest, or self-effacing
- vaatimatonhumble, modest, or self-effacing
- alistuvasubmissive, dispirited
- kesyttääto tame, to break
French humble, modeste
- humblehumble, modest, or self-effacing
- modestehumble, modest, or self-effacing
- soumissubmissive, dispirited
- faiblesubmissive, dispirited
German sanftmütig, bescheiden
- sanftmütighumble, modest, or self-effacing
- bescheidenhumble, modest, or self-effacing
- zaghafthumble, modest, or self-effacing
- zurückhaltendhumble, modest, or self-effacing
- frommhumble, modest, or self-effacing
- demütighumble, modest, or self-effacing
- sanfthumble, modest, or self-effacing
- holdhumble, modest, or self-effacing
- lammfrommhumble, modest, or self-effacing
- moderathumble, modest, or self-effacing
- unterwürfigsubmissive, dispirited
- kleinlautsubmissive, dispirited
- zähmento tame, to break
Greek ταπεινός, σεμνός
- ταπεινός (tapeinós)humble, modest, or self-effacing
- σεμνός (semnós)humble, modest, or self-effacing
- πράος (práos)humble, modest, or self-effacing
- πειθήνιος (peithínios)submissive, dispirited
Hungarian szerény, alázatos
- szerényhumble, modest, or self-effacing
- alázatossubmissive, dispirited
- beletörődősubmissive, dispirited
Indonesian rendah hati
- rendah hatihumble, modest, or self-effacing
Italian modesto, timido
- modestohumble, modest, or self-effacing
- timidohumble, modest, or self-effacing
- introversohumble, modest, or self-effacing
- schivohumble, modest, or self-effacing
- pavidohumble, modest, or self-effacing
- rassegnatosubmissive, dispirited
- remissivosubmissive, dispirited
- sommessosubmissive, dispirited
Māori māhaki, haki
- māhakihumble, modest, or self-effacing
- hakihumble, modest, or self-effacing
Norwegian blyg
- blyghumble, modest, or self-effacing
Norwegian Bokmål ydmyk, saktmodig
- ydmykhumble, modest, or self-effacing
- saktmodighumble, modest, or self-effacing
Persian فروتن, سربهزیر
- فروتن (forutan)humble, modest, or self-effacing
- سربهزیر (sar-be-zir)submissive, dispirited
Polish cichy, pokorny
- cichyhumble, modest, or self-effacing
- pokornyhumble, modest, or self-effacing
- arcyskromnyhumble, modest, or self-effacing
- arcyskromnysubmissive, dispirited
Portuguese modesto, submisso
- modestohumble, modest, or self-effacing
- submissosubmissive, dispirited
- mansosubmissive, dispirited
Romanian umil, modest
- umilhumble, modest, or self-effacing
- modesthumble, modest, or self-effacing
- blajinhumble, modest, or self-effacing
- supussubmissive, dispirited
Russian кро́ткий, мягкий
- кро́ткий (krótkij)humble, modest, or self-effacing
- мягкий (mjaxkij)humble, modest, or self-effacing
- безро́потный (bezrópotnyj)submissive, dispirited
- поко́рный (pokórnyj)submissive, dispirited
- укрощать (ukroščatʹ)to tame, to break
Scottish Gaelic macanta
- macantahumble, modest, or self-effacing
Spanish modesto, humilde
- modestohumble, modest, or self-effacing
- humildesubmissive, dispirited
- resignadosubmissive, dispirited
- sumisosubmissive, dispirited
- mansosubmissive, dispirited
Swedish ödmjuk, undergiven
- ödmjukhumble, modest, or self-effacing
- undergivensubmissive, dispirited
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with meek
Anagrams
Cite this entry
meek. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/meek
“meek.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/meek. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “meek,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/meek.
Source: meek on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.