subject 1 of 3

1
2
as in citizen
a person who owes allegiance to a government and is protected by it because of the tense situation in that country, British subjects were advised to return home as soon as possible

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
as in reason
something (as a belief) that serves as the basis for another thing he has no subject to protest this time, but that's never stopped him before

Synonyms & Similar Words

subject

2 of 3

verb

subject

3 of 3

adjective

Synonym Chooser

How is the word subject distinct from other similar nouns?

The words citizen and national are common synonyms of subject. While all three words mean "a person owing allegiance to and entitled to the protection of a sovereign state," subject implies allegiance to a personal sovereign such as a monarch.

the king's subjects

When would citizen be a good substitute for subject?

In some situations, the words citizen and subject are roughly equivalent. However, citizen is preferred for one owing allegiance to a state in which sovereign power is retained by the people and sharing in the political rights of those people.

the rights of a free citizen

When is national a more appropriate choice than subject?

The synonyms national and subject are sometimes interchangeable, but national designates one who may claim the protection of a state and applies especially to one living or traveling outside that state.

American nationals working in the Middle East

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of subject
Noun
Public relations professionals are rarely the subject of sympathy. Brian Cattell, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025 Rest assured that the subjects at the heart of this film are granted — and invited to demonstrate — a degree of interiority that was missing from the catty pope movie. Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 10 Mar. 2025
Verb
Taking tissue samples from 111 koalas in this area and beyond and subjecting the samples to genetic analysis, McLennan and her colleagues found that the animals had high levels of inbreeding and low levels of genetic diversity. Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025 Liccardo wants to subject violators to criminal and civil penalties while stopping them from profiting from an asset issued before the bill's enactment -- giving it retroactive element intended to address the launch of $TRUMP. John Parkinson, ABC News, 27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
Over the next six hours, the researchers gave each subject three cognitive tests, during which brain activity was monitored. Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025 Personalize The Content Beyond catchy subject lines and consistent cadence, personalizing content is key. Expert Panel®, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for subject
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subject
Noun
  • The class will cover topics including field markings and how to identify local birds.
    San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2025
  • The discussion surrounding the MVP topic between Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić is huge, with the two seemingly neck and neck as the regular season heads into its final stages.
    Tony Jones, The Athletic, 10 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Outside of bugging homes and offices, as well as torturing and imprisoning individuals, one of the main ways the Stasi went about doing this was by forcing citizens to act as informants.
    Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 8 Mar. 2025
  • The bill imposes $50,000 fines on sponsors for each solicitor found to not be a U.S. citizen.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Those types of metrics are part of the reason Knoblauch is advocating for Draisaitl to win the Selke Trophy to go along with a strong Hart case.
    Daniel Nugent-Bowman, The Athletic, 15 Mar. 2025
  • In recent years, Quinlin began to research equally noteworthy Irish people connected to Boston through many other reasons.
    Michele Herrmann, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • In 2022, Top Chef returned to Texas — Houston, specifically — for a serviceable season utterly dominated by Australian chef Buddha, who would also go on to dominate World All-Stars.
    Randall Colburn, EW.com, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Intel, which dominated the semiconductor field for decades, is struggling with market-share losses, manufacturing setbacks and a precipitous decline in its earnings.
    Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Bloys was clear, however, that WBD wasn’t entirely dependent on Rowling for the project.
    Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
  • The launch date is dependent on spacecraft traffic to the ISS and in-orbit activity planning and constraints that have to be coordinated with NASA.
    Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Austin Cindric's $50,000 penalty is becoming a hot topic in NASCAR as drivers weighed in on the matter after the incident at the Circuit of the Americas where Cindric hooked the right rear of Ty Dillon's car.
    William Lambers, Newsweek, 9 Mar. 2025
  • No halfway measure, but Bove still wants to keep his hooks in the fish in case Washington chooses to resume the matter later on (and to make sure that Adams follows their directives).
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 9 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Foreign nationals who now enter the U.S. via a land border and do not receive a document from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) must register with the U.S. government if their stay exceeds 30 days.
    Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Foreign nationals who plan to stay in the U.S. for longer than 30 days will be required to apply for registration with the federal government and be fingerprinted starting on April 11, according to the rule, which was posted on the federal register on Wednesday.
    Luke Barr, ABC News, 12 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • While The Changes Track The Progression Of Our Credit Market Amnesia The replacement high-end properties mimic the ambitions of today’s tech titans to conquer outer space.
    Ann Rutledge, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
  • Vikings had begun to conquer and move into parts of Scotland in 800 A.D.
    Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 15 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Subject.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subject. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

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