What does obedient mean?
Definitions for obedient
oʊˈbi di əntobe·di·ent
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word obedient.
Princeton's WordNet
obedientadjective
dutifully complying with the commands or instructions of those in authority
"an obedient soldier"; "obedient children"; "a little man obedient to his wife"; "the obedient colonies...are heavily taxed; the refractory remain unburdened"- Edmund Burke
Wiktionary
obedientadjective
Willing to comply with the commands, orders, or instructions of those in authority.
Jessica was so intensely obedient of her parents that her brother sometimes thought she was a robot.
Etymology: From oboediens, present active participle of oboedio.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
OBEDIENTadjective
Submissive to authority; compliant with command or prohibition; obsequious.
Etymology: obediens, Latin.
To this end did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. 2 Cor. ii. 9.
To this her mother’s plot
She, seemingly obedient, likewise hath
Made promise. William Shakespeare, M. W. of Wind.He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death. Phil. ii. 8.
Religion hath a good influence upon the people, to make them obedient to government, and peaceable one towards another. John Tillotson, Serm. 3.
The chief his orders gives; th’ obedient band,
With due observance, wait the chief’s command. Alexander Pope.
Wikipedia
obedient
Obedience, in human behavior, is a form of "social influence in which a person yields to explicit instructions or orders from an authority figure". Obedience is generally distinguished from compliance, which is behavior influenced by peers, and from conformity, which is behavior intended to match that of the majority. Depending on context, obedience can be seen as moral, immoral, or amoral. Humans have been shown to be obedient in the presence of perceived legitimate authority figures, as shown by the Milgram experiment in the 1960s, which was carried out by Stanley Milgram to find out how the Nazis managed to get ordinary people to take part in the mass murders of the Holocaust. The experiment showed that obedience to authority was the norm, not the exception. Regarding obedience, Milgram said that "Obedience is as basic an element in the structure of social life as one can point to. Some system of authority is a requirement of all communal living, and it is only the man dwelling in isolation who is not forced to respond, through defiance or submission, to the commands of others." A similar conclusion was reached in the Stanford prison experiment.
ChatGPT
obedient
Obedient refers to complying or willing to comply with orders, rules, or instructions, typically from one in a position of authority. It means to follow directives willingly, without argument or resistance.
Webster Dictionary
Obedientadjective
subject in will or act to authority; willing to obey; submissive to restraint, control, or command
Editors Contribution
obedient
Complying with the Laws or Rule of Law of a state or country.
Citizens are obedient to the Rule of Law which empowers everybody.
Submitted by JP03 on December 15, 2014
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
- [["1520","2"],["1563","2"],["1568","18"],["1572","1"],["1575","1"],["1579","4"],["1581","28"],["1582","6"],["1589","2"],["1590","2"],["1592","1"],["1607","6"],["1611","1"],["1612","1"],["1619","5"],["1620","5"],["1621","2"],["1626","1"],["1629","3"],["1630","2"],["1631","1"],["1632","1"],["1635","2"],["1637","11"],["1638","3"],["1642","1"],["1643","2"],["1644","35"],["1646","1"],["1647","17"],["1648","2"],["1649","12"],["1650","1"],["1651","19"],["1652","4"],["1653","6"],["1654","2"],["1655","4"],["1656","16"],["1657","3"],["1658","31"],["1659","3"],["1661","1"],["1662","1"],["1663","6"],["1664","1"],["1665","2"],["1666","1"],["1667","25"],["1668","33"],["1669","3"],["1670","19"],["1671","1"],["1672","5"],["1673","14"],["1674","1"],["1675","17"],["1676","42"],["1677","6"],["1678","48"],["1679","30"],["1680","11"],["1681","177"],["1682","47"],["1683","60"],["1684","39"],["1685","31"],["1686","16"],["1687","2"],["1688","29"],["1689","18"],["1690","17"],["1691","2"],["1692","23"],["1693","11"],["1694","19"],["1695","10"],["1696","15"],["1697","5"],["1698","25"],["1699","27"],["1700","59"],["1701","24"],["1702","44"],["1703","53"],["1704","72"],["1705","75"],["1706","67"],["1707","50"],["1708","61"],["1709","60"],["1710","81"],["1711","59"],["1712","74"],["1713","55"],["1714","78"],["1715","73"],["1716","79"],["1717","97"],["1718","148"],["1719","30"],["1720","144"],["1721","82"],["1722","150"],["1723","105"],["1724","97"],["1725","107"],["1726","127"],["1727","133"],["1728","164"],["1729","133"],["1730","160"],["1731","160"],["1732","120"],["1733","50"],["1734","88"],["1735","128"],["1736","114"],["1737","195"],["1738","147"],["1739","134"],["1740","168"],["1741","99"],["1742","118"],["1743","102"],["1744","151"],["1745","104"],["1746","138"],["1747","200"],["1748","171"],["1749","142"],["1750","191"],["1751","230"],["1752","176"],["1753","499"],["1754","291"],["1755","333"],["1756","198"],["1757","198"],["1758","217"],["1759","159"],["1760","262"],["1761","232"],["1762","137"],["1763","301"],["1764","279"],["1765","300"],["1766","838"],["1767","306"],["1768","684"],["1769","436"],["1770","292"],["1771","268"],["1772","484"],["1773","314"],["1774","447"],["1775","273"],["1776","324"],["1777","246"],["1778","307"],["1779","285"],["1780","311"],["1781","338"],["1782","505"],["1783","330"],["1784","763"],["1785","288"],["1786","607"],["1787","929"],["1788","653"],["1789","625"],["1790","535"],["1791","682"],["1792","612"],["1793","527"],["1794","586"],["1795","504"],["1796","636"],["1797","615"],["1798","663"],["1799","621"],["1800","953"],["1801","2439"],["1802","1343"],["1803","1521"],["1804","1718"],["1805","1911"],["1806","1740"],["1807","1836"],["1808","2771"],["1809","2021"],["1810","2429"],["1811","2372"],["1812","2812"],["1813","2381"],["1814","2989"],["1815","1796"],["1816","2293"],["1817","3062"],["1818","3027"],["1819","2228"],["1820","3131"],["1821","2291"],["1822","4576"],["1823","3789"],["1824","4703"],["1825","5292"],["1826","3098"],["1827","3472"],["1828","4847"],["1829","6359"],["1830","5760"],["1831","5907"],["1832","4905"],["1833","6613"],["1834","4384"],["1835","4830"],["1836","4829"],["1837","5669"],["1838","5434"],["1839","6806"],["1840","6514"],["1841","5281"],["1842","4839"],["1843","5657"],["1844","6965"],["1845","8003"],["1846","7007"],["1847","7009"],["1848","6140"],["1849","6871"],["1850","7129"],["1851","7657"],["1852","7158"],["1853","10675"],["1854","8776"],["1855","8208"],["1856","8583"],["1857","6606"],["1858","7089"],["1859","8145"],["1860","7391"],["1861","6524"],["1862","5215"],["1863","4613"],["1864","6029"],["1865","6633"],["1866","6397"],["1867","8296"],["1868","7129"],["1869","6404"],["1870","6192"],["1871","5597"],["1872","5334"],["1873","4954"],["1874","6606"],["1875","6169"],["1876","5910"],["1877","5565"],["1878","5066"],["1879","7728"],["1880","8083"],["1881","6468"],["1882","7304"],["1883","8130"],["1884","9824"],["1885","6263"],["1886","6229"],["1887","6905"],["1888","6674"],["1889","6019"],["1890","6393"],["1891","7075"],["1892","6252"],["1893","6193"],["1894","6540"],["1895","6396"],["1896","7207"],["1897","6785"],["1898","7620"],["1899","8600"],["1900","10264"],["1901","9590"],["1902","8231"],["1903","8198"],["1904","10095"],["1905","9556"],["1906","10605"],["1907","9196"],["1908","8153"],["1909","9017"],["1910","7429"],["1911","6791"],["1912","7890"],["1913","8026"],["1914","7120"],["1915","5809"],["1916","5163"],["1917","6668"],["1918","4490"],["1919","4925"],["1920","5367"],["1921","4850"],["1922","5482"],["1923","4989"],["1924","4946"],["1925","4607"],["1926","4805"],["1927","5372"],["1928","5458"],["1929","5453"],["1930","5075"],["1931","4971"],["1932","4707"],["1933","3592"],["1934","4074"],["1935","4486"],["1936","4589"],["1937","4449"],["1938","4950"],["1939","4368"],["1940","3990"],["1941","3338"],["1942","3054"],["1943","2787"],["1944","3336"],["1945","3629"],["1946","4239"],["1947","4840"],["1948","4688"],["1949","5279"],["1950","5560"],["1951","5589"],["1952","5439"],["1953","5311"],["1954","5442"],["1955","5824"],["1956","7376"],["1957","6718"],["1958","7433"],["1959","7169"],["1960","9219"],["1961","9011"],["1962","8905"],["1963","9740"],["1964","9275"],["1965","11197"],["1966","11180"],["1967","12037"],["1968","13288"],["1969","14536"],["1970","14855"],["1971","13516"],["1972","13444"],["1973","12769"],["1974","11662"],["1975","11498"],["1976","11727"],["1977","12754"],["1978","12443"],["1979","12107"],["1980","12141"],["1981","11941"],["1982","12456"],["1983","13253"],["1984","14027"],["1985","13424"],["1986","15075"],["1987","15161"],["1988","16547"],["1989","16838"],["1990","17615"],["1991","17083"],["1992","19606"],["1993","19244"],["1994","21183"],["1995","21979"],["1996","24417"],["1997","23423"],["1998","24529"],["1999","26641"],["2000","29431"],["2001","29304"],["2002","31672"],["2003","39032"],["2004","46824"],["2005","43936"],["2006","54124"],["2007","56135"],["2008","99169"]]
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of obedient in Chaldean Numerology is: 6
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of obedient in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2
Examples of obedient in a Sentence
I don't know how to answer that one, but Mario is ... obedient … I just make sure everything is available. He goes to the boys and girls club in our neighborhood. He helps out. He's not like secluded in the house away from everything but … I know all his friends. I know who he talks to on the phone.
Simonides, Epitaph for the Spartans who fell at Thermopylae:
Go tell the Spartans, Passerby, That here, obedient to their laws, We lie.
A well-trained dog isn't just obedient—it’s happy, confident, and truly part of your family.
I am not perfect. No one is, but I am forgiven and I love my Lord and must be obedient to him and to the word of God.
Our mission as Christians is always to be obedient and pray — and right now that means pray for the people in Ukraine and those in authority.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for obedient
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- مطيع, مذعنArabic
- obedientCatalan, Valencian
- poslušnýCzech
- gehorsamGerman
- υπάκουοςGreek
- obedienteSpanish
- kuuliainen, tottelevainenFinnish
- obéissantFrench
- makWestern Frisian
- szófogadó, engedelmesHungarian
- խելոք, հնազանդ, հլուArmenian
- patihIndonesian
- hlýðinnIcelandic
- ubbidiente, obbedienteItalian
- צייתניHebrew
- 従順, 大人しい, 忠実Japanese
- 순종적Korean
- rātns, paklausīgsLatvian
- ngāwariMāori
- gehoorzaamDutch
- posłusznyPolish
- obedientePortuguese
- docil, obedient, supus, ascultătorRomanian
- послушный, покорныйRussian
- poslušan, послушанSerbo-Croatian
- lydigSwedish
- слухня́ний, покі́рнийUkrainian
- 听话Chinese
Get even more translations for obedient »
Translation
Find a translation for the obedient definition in other languages:
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Word of the Day
Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?
Citation
Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"obedient." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 12 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/obedient>.
Discuss these obedient definitions with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In