ENGLISH
REFERENCE

obedient

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //oʊˈbidiənt// UK //əʊbˈiːdiənt// obe·di·ent

adj. willing to do what you are told and follow the rules. People use this to describe children or pets who listen well to their parents or owners.

adj. complying with or willing to submit to orders or requests; submissive to another's authority. Often used to describe children, animals, or subordinates in a hierarchical structure.


SIMPLE

The obedient dog sat down as soon as its owner spoke.

CONTEXTUAL

The students remained quiet and obedient throughout the principal's long speech about school safety.

COMPLEX

While some praised the soldiers for being perfectly obedient to their commanders, others questioned whether they should have challenged the unethical orders.

Antonyms
Origin

From Middle English obedient, from Old French obedient, from Latin oboediēns, present active participle of oboediō (“obey”).

Usage

Often used predicatively after linking verbs like 'remain' or 'stay', or attributively before a noun.

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