biddable

adjective

bid·​da·​ble ˈbi-də-bəl 

1

: easily led, taught, or controlled : docile

2

: capable of being bid

biddability

ˌbi-də-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

biddably

ˈbi-də-blē 

adverb

Did you know?

A biddable individual is someone you can issue an order to—that is, someone who will do your bidding. The word dates to the late 18th century, and currently our earliest evidence for it is a quote in the Scottish National Dictionary. There are a number of words in English that do what biddable does. Tractable, amenable, and docile are three of them. Biddable is often applied to children and indicates a ready, constant inclination to follow orders, requests, and suggestions. Tractable suggests characteristics that make for easy guiding, leading, ordering, or managing; its antonym intractable (as in "intractable problems") is more common. Amenable indicates a disposition to be agreeable or complaisant as well as a lack of assertive independence. Docile can stress a disposition to submit, either due to guidance and control or to imposition and oppression.

Synonyms

• amenable
• compliant
• conformable
• docile
• law-abiding
• obedient
• submissive
• tractable

Examples of biddable in a Sentence

The children became less biddable as they grew older.

the elderly widower was one of the more biddable and cooperative residents at the nursing home

Recent Examples on the Web

Ferro says advertisers have expanded access to programmatic biddable inventory across 30 different demand-side platforms that give access to both national and local-market advertisers. —Brian Steinberg, Variety, 7 Dec. 2023

Ferro says that as of this week, biddable programmatic inventory is live on the platform, and that the company has expanded its targeting capabilities to include demos (like age and gender) but also geography and Disney Select Audience Segments. —Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Oct. 2023

Iran infiltrated biddable Shiite militias, and aggrieved Sunnis joined with Syrian ISIS fighters to seize large swaths of Iraqi territory. —Steven Simon and Adam Weinstein, Foreign Affairs, 27 Sep. 2023

Find the full slate of biddable items here. —Annie Goldsmith, Town & Country, 4 Dec. 2020

Imran Khan, the cricket legend turned politician, came to power in 2018 with the lightly disguised support of the military, which saw him as a biddable ally. —Declan Walsh, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2023

Athletic, stylish, biddable, and deceptively tough, the Irish setter takes a backseat to none as a bird-finder deluxe and rugged all-purpose hunter. —Kyle Wintersteen, Field & Stream, 30 Jan. 2023

Such a defense may be a last resort in nature, but it’s been alleged that a military trainer could condition a biddable dolphin to neutralize an enemy diver, using the creature’s natural defensive abilities, coupled with a weapon of some kind. —Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 9 Jan. 2023

Border collies, for instance, tend to be more biddable than the average dog. —Tribune News Service, oregonlive, 30 Apr. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1768, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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