We didn't domesticate cats; cats domesticated us.
Source: tatoeba (11073820)
Domesticate
/dəˈmɛ.stɪ.keɪt/
Synonyms for "domesticate" (91 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (19)
Strong matches (27)
Related words (45)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: cultivate, tame, acclimate, acclimatize, accommodate.
- Sentence evidence is available for domesticate, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "domesticate".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "domesticate"
Keep "domesticate" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "domesticate" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "domesticate", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "domesticate" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
9 entriesMore specific
6 entriesCollocations
6 entriesanimal domesticationcrop domesticationdomesticated animalsdomesticated plantsdomesticated speciesdomestication process
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
2 entriessimilar
4 entriesTranslations
47 translations across 26 languages.
Armenian
2 entries- ընտելանալ verb ((intransitive) to adapt to live with humans)
- ընտելացնել verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Catalan
1 entries- domesticar verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Danish
4 entries- domesticere verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
- gøre til husdyr verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
- tæmme verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
- tæmme verb ((intransitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Dutch
1 entries- domesticeren verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
French
1 entries- domestiquer verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Galician
1 entries- domesticar verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
German
1 entries- domestizieren verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Greek
1 entries- εξημερώνω verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Hungarian
2 entries- domesztikál verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
- háziasít verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Icelandic
1 entries- temja verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Ido
2 entries- domestikeskar verb ((intransitive) to adapt to live with humans)
- domestikigar verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Italian
2 entries- addomesticare verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
- domesticare verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Japanese
1 entries- 馴らす verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Middle English
1 entries- daunten verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- domestisere verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Old English
1 entries- temian verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Polish
4 entries- udamawiać verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
- udamawiać się verb ((intransitive) to adapt to live with humans)
- udomawiać verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
- udomawiać się verb ((intransitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Portuguese
2 entries- domesticar verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
- domesticar-se verb ((intransitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Quechua
1 entries- uyway verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Romanian
1 entries- domestici verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Russian
2 entries- одома́шнивать verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
- одома́шнить verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Spanish
2 entries- domesticar verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
- domesticarse verb ((intransitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Swedish
1 entries- domesticera verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Turkish
4 entries- ehlileşmek verb ((intransitive) to adapt to live with humans)
- ehlileştirmek verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
- evcilleşmek verb ((intransitive) to adapt to live with humans)
- evcilleştirmek verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Ukrainian
2 entries- одома́шнити verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
- одома́шнювати verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Vietnamese
1 entries- thuần hoá verb ((transitive) to adapt to live with humans)
Sample sentences
4 total sentences available.
"To answer your question, Tai's fine. She mostly just smokes socially these days." "You're domesticating her!" "We're domesticating each other. The other day I found myself reading a home decorating blog."
Source: wiktionary
The Russians claim to have successfully domesticated foxes.
Source: wiktionary
Dogs have clearly domesticated more than cats.
Source: wiktionary
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "domesticate"?
Closest matches include cultivate, tame, acclimate, acclimatize, accommodate.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "domesticate"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.