Meanings
adjectiveobedient (comparative more obedient, superlative most obedient)
comparative more obedient · superlative most obedient
nounobedient (plural obedients)
plural obedients
- One who obeys.
Damn the obedients and hail the defiants if you will; the experiment does not motivate confidence about how particular subjects would behave in markedly dissimilar situations.
2002, John Michael Doris, Lack of Character: Personality and Moral Behavior, page 48
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveWilling to comply with the commands, orders, or instructions of those in authority; biddable.
Opposite
disobedientdominantargumentativebreachycontumaciousdefiantfrowardimmorigerousinobedientinsubmissiveinsubordinateinsurgentnonobedientobstreperousrebelliousrecalcitrantrecusantrefractoryrestiffrestiveunbowsomeunbuxomuncompliantuncontrollableuncooperativeungovernableunmanageableunobedientunobeyingunobligingunrulyunsubmissiveuntowardvolitient
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivedutifully complying with the commands or instructions of those in authority
Similar
Opposite
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinoboediēns
- Old Frenchobedient
- Middle Englishobedient
- Englishobedient
From Middle English obedient, from Old French obedient, from Latin oboediēns, present active participle of oboediō (“obey”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ὑπήκοος, κτίλος
- ὑπήκοος (hupḗkoos)willing to comply with commands
- κτίλος (ktílos)willing to comply with commands
Arabic مُطِيع, مُذْعِن
- مُطِيع (muṭīʕ)willing to comply with commands
- مُذْعِن (muḏʕin)willing to comply with commands
Basque esaneko
- esanekowilling to comply with commands
Bulgarian послу́шен, поко́рен
- послу́шен (poslúšen)willing to comply with commands
- поко́рен (pokóren)willing to comply with commands
Catalan obedient
- obedientwilling to comply with commands
Chinese Mandarin 服從的 /服从的, 順從的 /顺从的
- 服從的 /服从的 (fúcóng de)willing to comply with commands
- 順從的 /顺从的 (shùncóng de)willing to comply with commands
- 聽話 /听话 (tīnghuà)willing to comply with commands
- 乖 (guāi)willing to comply with commands
Czech poslušný
- poslušnýwilling to comply with commands
Dutch gehoorzaam
- gehoorzaamwilling to comply with commands
Esperanto obeema
- obeemawilling to comply with commands
Finnish kuuliainen, tottelevainen
- kuuliainenwilling to comply with commands
- tottelevainenwilling to comply with commands
French obéissant
- obéissantwilling to comply with commands
German gehorsam, folgsam
- gehorsamwilling to comply with commands
- folgsamwilling to comply with commands
Greek υπάκουος
- υπάκουος (ypákouos)willing to comply with commands
Hebrew צַיְתָנִי
- צַיְתָנִי (tsaytani)willing to comply with commands
Hindi आज्ञाकारी
- आज्ञाकारी (ājñākārī)willing to comply with commands
Hungarian engedelmes, szófogadó
- engedelmeswilling to comply with commands
- szófogadówilling to comply with commands
Icelandic hlýðinn
- hlýðinnwilling to comply with commands
Indonesian patuh, penurut
- patuhwilling to comply with commands
- penurutwilling to comply with commands
- taatwilling to comply with commands
- dengar-dengaranwilling to comply with commands
- patihwilling to comply with commands
Italian ubbidiente
- ubbidientewilling to comply with commands
Japanese 従順な, 忠実な
- 従順な (jūjun na)willing to comply with commands
- 忠実な (chūjitsu na)willing to comply with commands
- 大人しい (otonashii)willing to comply with commands
Korean 순종적
- 순종적 (sunjongjeok)willing to comply with commands
Latin oboediens, mōrigerus
- oboedienswilling to comply with commands
- mōrigeruswilling to comply with commands
Latvian paklausīgs, rātns
- paklausīgswilling to comply with commands
- rātnswilling to comply with commands
Lithuanian klusnùs, paklusnùs
- klusnùswilling to comply with commands
- paklusnùswilling to comply with commands
Māori ngāwari
- ngāwariwilling to comply with commands
Norwegian Bokmål lydig
- lydigwilling to comply with commands
Polish posłuszny
- posłusznywilling to comply with commands
Portuguese obediente
- obedientewilling to comply with commands
Romanian ascultător, obedient
- ascultătorwilling to comply with commands
- obedientwilling to comply with commands
- docilwilling to comply with commands
- supuswilling to comply with commands
Russian послу́шный, поко́рный
- послу́шный (poslúšnyj)willing to comply with commands
- поко́рный (pokórnyj)willing to comply with commands
Slovak poslušný
- poslušnýwilling to comply with commands
Spanish obediente
- obedientewilling to comply with commands
Swedish lydig
- lydigwilling to comply with commands
Thai เชื่อฟัง, ว่านอนสอนง่าย
- เชื่อฟัง (chʉ̂ʉa-fang)willing to comply with commands
- ว่านอนสอนง่ายwilling to comply with commands
Turkish itaatkâr
- itaatkârwilling to comply with commands
Ukrainian слухня́ний, покі́рний
- слухня́ний (sluxnjányj)willing to comply with commands
- покі́рний (pokírnyj)willing to comply with commands
- покі́рливий (pokírlyvyj)willing to comply with commands
- послу́шний (poslúšnyj)willing to comply with commands
Vietnamese vâng lời, tuân lời
- vâng lờiwilling to comply with commands
- tuân lờiwilling to comply with commands
Cite this entry
APA
obedient. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obedient
MLA
“obedient.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obedient. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “obedient,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obedient.
Source: obedient on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.