OBEDIENT

[obe.di.ent] adj [ME, fr. OF, fr. L oboedient-, oboediens, fr. prp. of oboedire to obey] (13c): submissive to the restraint or command of authority: willing to obey -- obe.di.ent.ly adv syn obedient, docile, tractable, amenable mean submissive to the will of another. obedient implies compliance with the demands or requests of one in authority "obedient to the government". docile implies a predisposition to submit readily to control or guidance "a docile child". tractable suggests having a character that permits easy handling or managing "tractable beasts of burden". amenable suggests a willingness to yield or to cooperate either because of a desire to be agreeable or because of a natural open-mindedness "amenable to new ideas".