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
The service only offers new assignments to subject area experts instead of opening an order to all writers, meaning you’ll be paired with a writer who understands the technicalities of your thesis subject. Rowan Briggs, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2025 By subjecting independent agencies to OIRA review, there is a genuine risk of entrenching these flawed methodologies across all regulatory bodies, not just traditional executive agencies. James Broughel, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
Tuesday’s public hearing put two of the Housing Committee’s most politically difficult subject areas on display: zoning and landlord-tenant relationships. Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 19 Feb. 2025 The engineer turned economist wrote three books and countless articles about one topic; every subsequent piece of writing about that subject name-checks him; and upon his death, websites in his field referred to him as a giant and a hero. Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 11 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for subject
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subject
Noun
  • 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
  • Focus on natural speech patterns, like questions and conversational language, and ensure your site addresses the common topics your audience might voice-search.
    Ivan Guzenko, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
Noun
  • Here are key reasons why resilience is vital for outsourcing operations: Ensures Business Continuity: Resilient models enable uninterrupted services during unexpected disruptions through contingency planning and distributed backup capabilities.
    Mit Somaiya, Sourcing Journal, 3 Mar. 2025
  • According to sources, a license-fee increase sought by the Academy is the main reason the two sides are coming out of the exclusive negotiating period without a new deal.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 3 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Sunday spotlight Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency have been dominating the headlines in the first few weeks of President Donald Trump’s new administration — at times overshadowing the president himself.
    Andrew Torgan, CNN, 2 Mar. 2025
  • The Yankees dominated Saturday against the Houston Astros, winning 9-3.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 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
  • His Justice Department has moved to suspend its case against New York Mayor Eric Adams, whom prosecutors had accused of soliciting bribes from Turkish nationals (allegations Adams denies).
    Allison Morrow, CNN, 28 Feb. 2025
  • All eight crew members were Chinese nationals, according to the coast guard.
    Anders Hagstrom, Fox News, 26 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • As a first-time founder-CEO running a fast-growing SaaS startup, Morgan had conquered his fair share of challenges at high speeds.
    Alla Adam, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
  • There is no saving the world, no genocidal maniac trying to conquer new realms.
    Rafael Motamayor, IndieWire, 2 Mar. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Subject.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subject. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on subject

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!