Meeker

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Exhibiting a nature that is more compliant or yielding often indicates a gentler personality than one that is assertive
2. Demonstrating a more submissive attitude can signify a softer approach to interactions compared to a bolder demeanor
3. Showing a disposition that is more inclined to accommodate others may reflect a personality that is less confrontational than one that is confident

Etymology: The adjective "meeker" began as a trade name. In the 1800s, a harrow (a farm implement dragged across fields to break up soil) was sold under the brand "Meeker", after the maker whose name it carried. Nothing about the tool suggested gentleness; the word was simply a label on a piece of farm machinery. How the brand came to mean mildness is a matter of chance rather than design. The sound of the name apparently drifted into the English vocabulary of meekness, where "meek" already meant gentle and submissive, and the comparative "meeker" grew out of that existing adjective. The surviving sense is therefore a coincidence of spelling and sound rather than a deliberate figure of speech.

Synonyms: timid, submissive, docile

Antonyms: bold, assertive, aggressive