sub·or·di·nate
sə-ˈbȯr-də-nət 
-ˈbȯrd-nət
1
: placed in or occupying a lower class, rank, or position : inferior
a subordinate officer
2
: submissive to or controlled by authority
3
a
: of, relating to, or constituting a clause that functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb
b
subordinately
adverb
subordinateness
noun
sub·or·di·nate
sə-ˈbȯr-də-nət
-ˈbȯrd-nət
: one who stands in order or rank below another : one that is subordinate
sub·or·di·nate
sə-ˈbȯr-də-ˌnāt
subordinated; subordinating
1
: to make subject or subservient
2
: to treat as of less value or importance
stylist … whose crystalline prose subordinates content to form—
Susan Heath
Susan HeathSynonyms
Examples of subordinate in a Sentence
Adjective
About two-thirds of the way through, this nonsense comes to life for fifteen minutes when the point of view shifts to that of a subordinate character, an aging thug (well played by Laurence Fishburne) who is employed by the casino to spot card counters.
—Richard Alleva, Commonweal, May 9, 2008
A reporter's right to protect a source is a subordinate matter that obfuscates the more important issue of violating journalistic integrity and responsibility when one becomes an agent, if not a pawn, of a mean-spirited and vindictive retaliation scheme.
—Jon Duffey, Editor & Publisher, 13 Oct. 2003
She was thirty-three, furiously frustrated with her subordinate role in the studio—attending to the model's hair, makeup, and clothes—and chronically dissatisfied with her own pictures, which represented a different kind of woman's work.
—Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2003
his contention is that environment plays a subordinate role to heredity in determining what we become
Noun
Case in point: the dismissal of advertising chief Julie Roehm, accused of having an affair with a subordinate (also fired) and taking freebies from an advertising agency (also fired) in violation of company policies.
—Bill Saporito, Time, 12 Nov. 2007
He ran an extremely unhappy headquarters. He tended to berate subordinates, frequently shouting and cursing at them.
—Thomas E. Ricks, Fiasco, 2006
She also found it impossible to give negative feedback. As a consequence, her work and that of her subordinates started to suffer, and she was missing deadlines.
—Steven Berglas, Harvard Business Review, June 2002
She leaves the day-to-day running of the firm to her subordinates.
subordinates do most of the actual creation of the famous designer's clothing designs
Verb
Clinton administration Trade Representative Mickey Kantor declared: "The days when we could afford to subordinate our economic interests to foreign policy or defense concerns are long past."
—Lawrence F. Kaplan, New Republic, 18 Mar. 2002
The real reason, though, is that art survives life, and this unpalatable realization lies behind the lumpen desire to subordinate the former to the latter. The finite always mistakes the permanent for the infinite and nurtures designs upon it.
—Joseph Brodsky, Times Literary Supplement, 26 Oct. 1990
it is one of the lessons of history that more powerful civilizations often subordinate weaker ones
Richard Alleva, Commonweal, May 9, 2008
A reporter's right to protect a source is a subordinate matter that obfuscates the more important issue of violating journalistic integrity and responsibility when one becomes an agent, if not a pawn, of a mean-spirited and vindictive retaliation scheme.
—Jon Duffey, Editor & Publisher, 13 Oct. 2003
She was thirty-three, furiously frustrated with her subordinate role in the studio—attending to the model's hair, makeup, and clothes—and chronically dissatisfied with her own pictures, which represented a different kind of woman's work.
—Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2003
his contention is that environment plays a subordinate role to heredity in determining what we become
Noun
Case in point: the dismissal of advertising chief Julie Roehm, accused of having an affair with a subordinate (also fired) and taking freebies from an advertising agency (also fired) in violation of company policies.
—Bill Saporito, Time, 12 Nov. 2007
He ran an extremely unhappy headquarters. He tended to berate subordinates, frequently shouting and cursing at them.
—Thomas E. Ricks, Fiasco, 2006
She also found it impossible to give negative feedback. As a consequence, her work and that of her subordinates started to suffer, and she was missing deadlines.
—Steven Berglas, Harvard Business Review, June 2002
She leaves the day-to-day running of the firm to her subordinates.
subordinates do most of the actual creation of the famous designer's clothing designs
Verb
Clinton administration Trade Representative Mickey Kantor declared: "The days when we could afford to subordinate our economic interests to foreign policy or defense concerns are long past."
—Lawrence F. Kaplan, New Republic, 18 Mar. 2002
The real reason, though, is that art survives life, and this unpalatable realization lies behind the lumpen desire to subordinate the former to the latter. The finite always mistakes the permanent for the infinite and nurtures designs upon it.
—Joseph Brodsky, Times Literary Supplement, 26 Oct. 1990
it is one of the lessons of history that more powerful civilizations often subordinate weaker ones
Recent Examples on the Web
David Axe, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
Despite a propaganda campaign encouraging all Americans to come together and do their part to defeat the Axis and totalitarianism, the U.S. military remained rigidly segregated with people of color subjugated into subordinate roles and Black soldiers discriminated against abroad and at home.
—Tracie Canada / Made By History, TIME, 1 Jan. 2025
Yuval Noah Harari, WIRED, 3 Jan. 2025
Conrad Empson Photo: Bravo/Zev Schmitz/Bravo Bosun Below Deck Mediterranean
Season 3
—
This bosun was the youngest of the deck team but also in charge, which rankled a lot of his subordinates, especially João Franco.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2024
The Editors, National Review, 13 Dec. 2024
Yet their dangerously unquestioned need to counter or even beat China in region after region across the globe is not only reactionary but also subordinates U.S. interests to a fight that drains resources and goodwill while foreclosing opportunities for cooperation and peaceful coexistence.
—Nancy Okail, Foreign Affairs, 3 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for subordinate 
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Adjective
To salvage the 155th Mechanized Brigade, a unit that Ukraine, France and Poland spent months and millions of dollars training and equipping, Ukrainian leaders have begun assigning its fresh but inexperienced subordinate units to the weary but experienced brigades in the Pokrovsk sector.
—David Axe, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
Despite a propaganda campaign encouraging all Americans to come together and do their part to defeat the Axis and totalitarianism, the U.S. military remained rigidly segregated with people of color subjugated into subordinate roles and Black soldiers discriminated against abroad and at home.
—Tracie Canada / Made By History, TIME, 1 Jan. 2025
Noun
Throughout history, the biggest threat to autocrats usually came from their own subordinates.
—Yuval Noah Harari, WIRED, 3 Jan. 2025
Conrad Empson Photo: Bravo/Zev Schmitz/Bravo Bosun Below Deck Mediterranean
Season 3
—
This bosun was the youngest of the deck team but also in charge, which rankled a lot of his subordinates, especially João Franco.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2024
Verb
Ending the pursuit of Haim would be a worthy message to the nation and to Harmeet Dhillon’s Civil Rights Division subordinates that there’s a new sheriff in town.
—The Editors, National Review, 13 Dec. 2024
Yet their dangerously unquestioned need to counter or even beat China in region after region across the globe is not only reactionary but also subordinates U.S. interests to a fight that drains resources and goodwill while foreclosing opportunities for cooperation and peaceful coexistence.
—Nancy Okail, Foreign Affairs, 3 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for subordinate
Dictionary Entries Near subordinate
Cite this Entry
“Subordinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subordinate. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
subordinate
1 of 3 adjective
sub·or·di·nate
sə-ˈbȯrd-ᵊn-ət
-ˈbȯrd-nət
1
: placed in or occupying a lower class or rank
a subordinate officer
2
: yielding to or controlled by authority
3
a
: of, relating to, or being a clause that functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb
b
subordinately
adverb
subordinateness
noun
subordinate
2 of 3 noun
: one that is subordinate
subordinate
3 of 3 verb
sub·or·di·nate
sə-ˈbȯrd-ᵊn-ˌāt
subordinated; subordinating
: to make subordinate
Legal Definition
subordinate
1 of 2 adjective
sub·or·di·nate
sə-ˈbȯrd-ᵊn-ət
1
: placed in or occupying a lower rank, class, or position
2
: submissive to or controlled by authority
subordinate
2 of 2 transitive verb
sub·or·di·nate
sə-ˈbȯrd-ᵊn-ˌāt
subordinated; subordinating
: to assign lower priority to (as a debt or creditor) : postpone satisfaction of until after satisfaction of another
the equitable assignee will be subordinated to the rights of the assignor's trustee in bankruptcy—J. D. Calamari and J. M. Perillo
J. D. Calamari and J. M. PerilloLove words? Need even more definitions?
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