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Dutiful vs Submissive - What's the difference?

dutiful | submissive | Synonyms |

Dutiful is a synonym of submissive.


As adjectives the difference between dutiful and submissive

is that dutiful is accepting of one's legal or moral obligations and willing to do them well, and without complaint while submissive is meekly obedient or passive.

As a noun submissive is

one who submits.

dutiful

English

Alternative forms

* dutifull (archaic)

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Accepting of one's legal or moral obligations and willing to do them well, and without complaint.
  • Ralph was a dutiful child, and took the trash out without being told.
  • Pertaining to one's duty; demonstrative of one's sense of duty.
  • The sergeant maintained a dutiful shine on his boots.

    submissive

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • one who submits
  • Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Meekly obedient or passive.
  • * 1756 , Edmund Burke, The Works of the Right Honorable Edmund Burke , G. Bell & sons, page 314:
  • The powerful managers for government were not sufficiently submissive to the pleasure of the possessors of immediate and personal favour, sometimes from a confidence in their own strength natural and acquired; sometimes from a fear of offending their friends, and weakening that lead in the country, which gave them a consideration independent of the court.
  • * 1913 , Edward Lee Thorndike, Educational Psychology , Teachers college, Columbia university, page 92:
  • If the human being who answers these tendencies assumes a submissive behavior, in essence a lowering of head and shoulders, wavering glance, absence of all preparations for attack, general weakening of muscle tonus, and hesitancy in movement, the movements of attempt at mastery become modified into attempts at the more obvious swagger, strut and glare of triumph.
  • * 2007 , Brian Watermeyer, Disability and Social Change: A South African Agenda , HSRC Press, page 269:
  • Once oppression has been internalised, little force is needed to keep us submissive .

    Derived terms

    * submissively (adverb) * submissiveness (noun)

    Synonyms

    * docile * meek * slavish * timid * obedient

    Antonyms

    * dominant, domineering (ruling ) * defiant, rebellious (ignoring )