What does meekness mean?
Meekness is the quality of being humble, gentle, and unassertive. In modern usage, it often suggests an absence of aggression or resistance, and it can be particularly associated with religious ideals of patience, forbearance, and self-control. The term may be complimentary when it describes calm acceptance or compassion, but it can also imply excessive compliance or passivity. Meekness is related to the adjective meek and the adverb meekly. Its historical associations extend beyond quiet behavior to a broader ideal of spiritual humility, especially in Christian and other religious traditions. The word is less common in everyday speech than terms such as humility, patience, or submissiveness, and its use can carry a distinctly traditional or moralizing tone.
nounThe quality of being meek: humble, gentle, and unassertive in manner or spirit. It can also refer to submissive compliance.
- Humility and gentleness of manner, especially toward others or in the face of difficulty.
- Submissive compliance; unassertive obedience to authority or to another person's wishes.
"She accepted the criticism with meekness, showing neither anger nor defensiveness."
"The prisoner maintained a quiet meekness as the sentence was read."
"Her meekness was sometimes mistaken for lack of confidence, though it reflected a deliberate sense of calm."
The plural is grammatically standard but uncommon; the word is normally used in the singular.
"The novel explores different forms of meekness in the lives of its characters."
Meekness began as a description of physical softness and gentleness, but over time came to emphasize humility and a lack of resistance to authority.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does meekness come from?
Meekness is formed from the adjective meek with the suffix -ness. Meek descends from Old English mēoc, which originally conveyed softness, gentleness, and mildness, and also came to mean humble or submissive. The word is related to cognates in other Germanic languages, including German mild and Dutch mak, and its sense developed from physical gentleness toward moral and social humility.
How meekness is actually used
The word is formal and literary. It can be approving, especially in religious or philosophical contexts, but may sound patronizing or excessively passive when applied to a person in modern usage.
Easily confused with meekness
Meekness is the noun naming the quality of being meek, while meek is the adjective describing someone or something that is humble, gentle, or unassertive.