1
as in subordinate
very willing to obey someone else
She was an equal partner in the marriage and not a subservient wife.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in secondary
having a less important role, job, or place as something else
The employees used to build things by hand but now were subservient to automated equipment that handled much of production.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of subservient
The problem of a very hierarchical party is that not a lot of alternative figures emerge because there’s the leader and only the leader, and everyone else is just subservient to the leader.
—
Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2025
And, when the U.S. government began requesting the extradition of the leaders, the Salvadoran courts, subservient to Bukele, repeatedly found excuses to avoid handing them over.
—Danielle MacKey, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
Professional associations, such as the Association of German Universities, stayed silent, ignoring key opportunities to resist before universities lost their autonomy and became subservient to the Nazi state.
—Iveta Silova, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2025
More importantly to the court proceedings that would follow in later decades, the group stressed that women are subservient to men, a belief that William wholeheartedly embraced, his ex-wife says.
—Justin Wingerter, The Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subservient
Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2025
And, when the U.S. government began requesting the extradition of the leaders, the Salvadoran courts, subservient to Bukele, repeatedly found excuses to avoid handing them over.
—Danielle MacKey, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
Professional associations, such as the Association of German Universities, stayed silent, ignoring key opportunities to resist before universities lost their autonomy and became subservient to the Nazi state.
—Iveta Silova, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2025
More importantly to the court proceedings that would follow in later decades, the group stressed that women are subservient to men, a belief that William wholeheartedly embraced, his ex-wife says.
—Justin Wingerter, The Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subservient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subservient
Adjective
-
The 6th Ranger Training Battalion belongs to the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade which is a subordinate brigade of the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning.—
Mark Price,
Miami Herald,
21 May 2025
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The company kept the HBO brand, of course, as subordinate under the Max umbrella.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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Venture secondary specialists confirm that secondary prints have tightened from 60 percent discounts to low double-digits on marquee names.—
Zennon Kapron,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
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Project Emery took a blow as playing Europa League football next season was a secondary target.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
According to the new framing, Russia’s real fight is against the mighty United States, which wants to destroy it, while Ukraine—just like the European Union and NATO—is merely an obedient U.S. satellite.—
Andrei Kolesnikov,
Foreign Affairs,
25 May 2023
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The twist offered in this tale is that this dutiful and obedient AI proceeds to gobble up all the available resources on earth to maximally achieve this goal.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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What’s Next for Agencies Investing in Interactive Avatars? For marketing agencies, the opportunity lies in rethinking ad creative—moving from passive to interactive experiences that give users a reason to engage.—
Jiajun Lu,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
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Topics include earning passive income online, mastering communication and public speaking, acing your job interview, and practical strategies to grow your wealth.—
CNBC Make It Staff,
CNBC,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Subservient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subservient. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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