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Meaning of tame in English

  1. Pronunciation

    /teɪm/

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  1. Verb

    tame

    Definitions

    1. correct by punishment or discipline
  2. 2. make less strong or intense

    Examples

    • « soften »
    • « Tone down that aggressive letter »
    • « The author finally tamed some of his potentially offensive statements »
  3. 3. adapt (a wild plant or unclaimed land) to the environment

    Examples

    • « domesticate oats »
    • « tame the soil »
  4. 4. overcome the wildness of

    Examples

    • « make docile and tractable »
    • « He tames lions for the circus »
    • « reclaim falcons »
  5. 5. make fit for cultivation, domestic life, and service to humans

    Examples

    • « The horse was domesticated a long time ago »
    • « The wolf was tamed and evolved into the house dog »
  6. Classifying Adjective

    tame

    Definitions

    1. flat and uninspiring

    Synonyms

    • unexciting
  7. 2. very docile

    Examples

    • « tame obedience »
    • « meek as a mouse- Langston Hughes »

    Synonyms

    • docile
  8. Qualitative Adjective

    tame

    Etymology

    Old English tam (adjective), temmian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch tam and German zahm, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin domare and Greek daman‘tame, subdue’

    Definitions

    1. very restrained or quiet

    Examples

    • « a tame Christmas party »
    • « she was one of the tamest and most abject creatures imaginable with no will or power to act but as directed »

    Synonyms

    • subdued

    Antonyms

    • wild
  9. 2. brought from wildness into a domesticated state

    Examples

    • « tame animals »
    • « fields of tame blueberries »

    Synonyms

    • broken
    • broken in
    • docile
    • gentle
    • domestic
    • domesticated
    • cultivated
    • tamed

    Antonyms

    • wild
    • untamed

See also

  • tractable

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