subaltern

1 of 2

adjective

sub·​al·​tern sə-ˈbȯl-tərn 

especially British ˈsə-bəl-tərn

1

: particular with reference to a related universal proposition

"some S is P" is a subaltern proposition to "all S is P"

2

: subordinate

subaltern

2 of 2

noun

1

: a person holding a subordinate position

specifically : a junior officer (as in the British army)

2

: a particular proposition that follows immediately from a universal

Examples of subaltern in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The mall was one small testament to what Ali meant in Manila and in other corners of the subaltern world. — Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025

Some of these movements were also explicitly anti-caste, which has been attributed to the consolidation of the subaltern, yielding a sense of solidarity and common purpose. — Nilakantan Rs, Quartz, 5 Jan. 2023

The winners of the subaltern awards make no speeches, just say a simple thank you, if that. — Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Mar. 2022

Even the ultimate military failure of the Coromantee War, Brown suggests, should be viewed primarily as a consequence of subaltern decisions and divisions rather than of a stable colonial hegemony. — Fara Dabhoiwala, The New York Review of Books, 3 Aug. 2020

For the dominant group, being judged and asked to justify itself, as so many subaltern groups are judged and asked to justify themselves, feels like an insult. — David Roberts, Vox, 26 July 2018

In both novels, Kushner cuts the glamor of Rome, New York City, and Havana with scenes of subaltern life at the edge of manufacturing. — Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, 7 June 2018

Noun

Jude, by contrast, looks at Bucharest from the perspective of Romanians, who understandably resent being poor subalterns within the European Union. — Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026

But the subaltern can subvert the master’s language by twisting it and playing with it, being irreverent with (and toward) it. — Benjamin Hale june 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025

The queen – then Princess Elizabeth – became an honorary second subaltern of the Army in 1945. — Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 4 June 2019

The visiting dignitary is Queen Elizabeth — now perhaps better known as the Queen Mother — and the young ATS subaltern is her daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth II. — Lily Rothman, Time, 25 May 2018

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Late Latin subalternus, from Latin sub- + alternus alternate, from alter other (of two) — more at alter

First Known Use

Adjective

1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1