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Follower vs Submissive - What's the difference?

follower | submissive |

As nouns the difference between follower and submissive

is that follower is (literally) one who follows, comes after another while submissive is one who submits.

As an adjective submissive is

meekly obedient or passive.

follower

Noun

(en noun)
  • (literally) One who follows, comes after another.
  • Something that comes after another thing.
  • One who is a part of master's physical group, such as a servant or retainer.
  • One who follows mentally, adherer to the opinions, ideas or teachings of another, a movement etc.
  • An imitator, who follows another's example
  • A pursuer.
  • A machine part receiving motion from another
  • A man courting a maidservant.
  • Young cattle.
  • A metal piece placed at the top of a candle to keep the wax melting evenly.
  • (Australian rules football) Any of the three players (the ruckman, ruck rover, and rover) who usually follow the ball around the ground rather than occupying a fixed position.
  • (colloquial, dated) A debt collector.
  • Antonyms

    * leader * precursor

    Derived terms

    * followership * nonfollower

    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 )