subservience

noun

sub·​ser·​vi·​ence səb-ˈsər-vē-ən(t)s 

1

: a subservient or subordinate place or function

2

: obsequious servility

Examples of subservience in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

David Mareuil / Anadolu via Getty Images Signs on a truck denounce Japan's subservience to the U.S. as people take part to the 96th May Day rally on May 1, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan. —CBS News, 1 May 2025

And, in a development that has been decades in the making, civil-rights laws have been reduced to cudgels for coercing universities into subservience. —Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2025

Trump and Vance demand absolute loyalty and subservience – as seen in their interactions with Zelensky. —Greg Orme, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025

Trad wives are typically conservative, usually Christians and post about things like cooking, cleaning and subservience to their husbands. —Charles Trepany, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1676, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

subservience

noun

sub·​ser·​vi·​ence səb-ˈsər-vē-ən(t)s 

1

: a subordinate place or function

2

: obedience befitting one of a menial position