How nice it is when someone is unhindered ready to listen and fulfill all requests. Such a person can be described in one simple word "submissive." This is not just obedience, but rather, even submission to another person. Let's try to figure out how this word happened, what it means and when it is appropriate to use it in speech.
What dictionaries say about it
Of course, in order to study in detail the meaning of a word, it is first necessary to turn to the explanatory dictionary. So, for example, Ozhegov gives this adjective such an explanation. Submissive is a person who has a compliant and obedient character. Also in the outdated official letter form one could come across such an expression “Your humble servant”. This did not mean at all that a person is always ready to obey the addressee in everything, but rather is simply a form of respect for the person. Ushakov interprets this word in this way: not resisting, yielding to coercion. In other words, a man voluntarily allows himself to command and does not resist this.
Where can I use the word
“Submissive” is a word that can be applied to an individual who is ready to obey and obey. Very often this adjective is used for children, wives and husbands. Since it is believed that there is a place for obedience in the family institution, we can tell the child that he must be humble. The same goes for relations between spouses. As a rule, it is they who decide who obeys in the family and who commands.
In addition to the fact that this word can be applied to people, there are also cases of using the word with respect to facial expressions, for example, a humble look. We will talk about this value a little lower.
So, a humble person is usually quiet and calm. Scandals, quarrels and contradictions are alien to him. One and the same guy with his wife, for example, can be submissive, but in relations with friends, on the contrary, it is eccentric and obstinate. If we consider the situation when a person is obedient in all his relations, then we can say that he is easily amenable to the influence of surrounding people. It is difficult for him to refuse a person a request.
Another meaning of the word
In some cases, the meaning of the word "humble" may differ slightly from the above. Sometimes the phrases “submissive look”, “submissive despair” can mean a person’s readiness for a certain event or action. The same applies in most cases of uses that are not specifically related to the person, but his way of acting or facial expressions. For example: "The child knew for sure that his parents would begin to scold him, and froze in submissive despair."
As for the cases when the word is associated with some action: “humble silence”, “humble silence”, then everything is also simple here, it means a lull or expectation of something. In such a case, such as “humble silence”, the word “humble” enhances the meaning of silence. In many works of art, it is precisely this meaning that occurs.
Origin of the word
"Submissive" is a word derived from the old Slavic koriti. In other languages, it can also be found. For example, in the Ukrainian language there is such a word "pidkoriti" that translates as subduing. The very same verb “reproach” means scolding, humiliating, subjugating. Another similar word in the Ukrainian language “karate” is translated as “punish” and has the same etymology with “obedient” considered by us. This word is found in almost all similar languages (Ukrainian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Czech, Slovak, Polish).
Synonyms and Antonyms
We have already figured out what “submissive” is and how the word came about, and now we will consider how it can be replaced in sentences. There are a huge number of synonyms and antonyms for this word. They perfectly reveal its essence. Of the words that are close in meaning, we can distinguish: faithful, meek, implicit, meek. We can say that such a person is always obedient and quiet. He is not capable of quarrels or contradictions. When a humble person is scolded, he silently listens to everything that is told to him. For example, what does a humble spouse mean? This is the woman who will not argue with her husband. All his requests will be fulfilled, and desires are heard. The opposite in meaning can be called the word "naughty", "obstinate." Such a person is capable of conflict, he is stubborn and messy. It’s hard to get anything done. If obedient people in society are passive, then the obstinate are active and ready for the offensive.
This is not to say that being humble is good or bad . This is a character trait that some may like and others not. As a rule, in a married couple, one person is the active side, and the other is passive. In this case, quarrels and misunderstandings are minimized. Some people are submissive and quiet by nature, it is very difficult to change them, while for others this character trait is acquired over time as a result of pressure on people around them.