subcontinent

noun

sub·​con·​ti·​nent ˌsəb-ˈkän-tə-nənt 

-ˈkänt-nənt

: a large landmass smaller than a continent

especially : a major subdivision of a continent

the Indian subcontinent

subcontinental

ˌsəb-ˌkän-tə-ˈnen-tᵊl 

adjective

Examples of subcontinent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The 1947 partition of the South Asian subcontinent into India and Pakistan led to the world’s largest mass migration. —JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025

While undertaking a magnetic survey of the Indian subcontinent, Colonel Alexander Strange of the Royal Artillery had experienced firsthand the human toll of drought. —Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025

In the 1800s, the investments in railroad infrastructure increased migration to a mass level, transformed the American Midwest to an agricultural powerhouse, and allowed Imperialist powers to grow across Africa and the Indian subcontinent. —Bipul Sinha, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025

Its open, hilly terrain has one of the highest densities of tigers on the subcontinent. —Marion Miller, Travel + Leisure, 10 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for subcontinent

• incontinent
• continent

Kids Definition

subcontinent

noun

sub·​con·​ti·​nent ˈsəb-ˈkänt-ᵊn-ənt 

-ˈkänt-nənt,

-ˌkänt-

: a large area of land smaller than a continent

especially : a major subdivision of a continent

the Indian subcontinent

subcontinental

ˌsəb-ˌkänt-ᵊn-ˈent-ᵊl 

adjective