: lacking in vitality, intensity, or strength
subdued colors
Synonyms
Examples of subdued in a Sentence
She spoke in a subdued voice.
The color in the lobby is subdued.
Recent Examples on the Web
The tune opens at No. 30, in last place, on Billboard’s ranking of the tracks that reach the largest audience at radio stations that play the more subdued, mature-leaning style of pop, known as Adult Contemporary.
—
Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 30 Jan. 2025
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S & P 500 indicating small gains—the S & P 500 previously slipped 0.2 percent on Thursday, marking its fourth consecutive day of losses and capping a strong 2024 on a subdued note.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
Related Articles Tuesday’s interfaith service looked considerably more subdued than Monday night’s Inaugural Balls.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 21 Jan. 2025
Victorian Era and British Royalty Eventually, British monarch Queen Victoria gave rise to the mourning brooch a more subdued but meaningful design in which a piece of the deceased's hair—in Victoria’s case, hair from Prince Albert—is incorporated into the design.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 18 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for subdued 
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.
Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 30 Jan. 2025
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S & P 500 indicating small gains—the S & P 500 previously slipped 0.2 percent on Thursday, marking its fourth consecutive day of losses and capping a strong 2024 on a subdued note.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
Related Articles Tuesday’s interfaith service looked considerably more subdued than Monday night’s Inaugural Balls.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 21 Jan. 2025
Victorian Era and British Royalty Eventually, British monarch Queen Victoria gave rise to the mourning brooch a more subdued but meaningful design in which a piece of the deceased's hair—in Victoria’s case, hair from Prince Albert—is incorporated into the design.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 18 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for subdued
Dictionary Entries Near subdued
Cite this Entry
“Subdued.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subdued. Accessed 5 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share