subordinate

1 of 3

adjective

sub·​or·​di·​nate sə-ˈbȯr-də-nət How to pronounce subordinate (audio)
-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
subordinately adverb
subordinateness noun

subordinate

2 of 3

noun

sub·​or·​di·​nate sə-ˈbȯr-də-nət How to pronounce subordinate (audio)
-ˈbȯrd-nət
: one who stands in order or rank below another : one that is subordinate

subordinate

3 of 3

verb

sub·​or·​di·​nate sə-ˈbȯr-də-ˌnāt How to pronounce subordinate (audio)
subordinated; subordinating

transitive verb

1
: to make subject or subservient
2
: to treat as of less value or importance
stylist … whose crystalline prose subordinates content to formSusan Heath
subordinative adjective

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
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Adjective
The president, in other words, is increasingly subordinate to the courts. Ian Millhiser, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 This subordinate specification could allow regulators to implement auditing capabilities world-wide. James Felton Keith, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024
Noun
Consider implementing 360-degree assessments to gather insights from peers, subordinates and supervisors. Cheryl Robinson, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024 Not wanting to be the bad guy, Paul took all of on his subordinates’ undesirable chores, ultimately injuring himself in the process. Andy Swift, TVLine, 14 Oct. 2024
Verb
It can only be attained by subordinating the system, processes, tools, techniques, and frameworks to human values, mindsets, caring, feeling, and culture that firms can inspire energy, enthusiasm, creativity and innovativeness. Steve Denning, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024 Rebecca has found the one social forum that doesn’t bite back, that subordinates judgment to context and compassion. Marc Weingarten, The Atlantic, 23 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for subordinate 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Middle English subordinat, from Medieval Latin subordinatus, past participle of subordinare to subordinate, from Latin sub- + ordinare to order — more at ordain

Verb

Medieval Latin subordinatus — see subordinate entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1640, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of subordinate was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near subordinate

Cite this Entry

“Subordinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subordinate. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

subordinate

1 of 3 adjective
sub·​or·​di·​nate sə-ˈbȯrd-ᵊn-ət How to pronounce subordinate (audio)
-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
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 How to pronounce subordinate (audio)
subordinated; subordinating
: to make subordinate
subordination noun
subordinative adjective

Legal Definition

subordinate

1 of 2 adjective
sub·​or·​di·​nate sə-ˈbȯrd-ᵊn-ət How to pronounce subordinate (audio)
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 How to pronounce subordinate (audio)
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 bankruptcyJ. D. Calamari and J. M. Perillo

More from Merriam-Webster on subordinate

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!