subcontinent

noun sub·con·ti·nent \ ˌsəb-ˈkän-tə-nənt , -ˈkänt-nənt \

|Updated on: 7 Jun 2018

Definition of subcontinent

: a large landmass smaller than a continent; especially : a major subdivision of a continent

the Indian subcontinent

—

subcontinental

play \ˌsəb-ˌkän-tə-ˈnen-tᵊl\ adjective

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Recent Examples of subcontinent from the Web

Here's a short, detail-light teaser: Europa Universalis: Dharma is, as the title indicates, a rework of the game's Indian subcontinent.

— hayden dingman, PCWorld, "PdxCon 2018: Paradox reveals Imperator Rome, Age of Wonders: Planetfall, and board games," 19 May 2018
Those standards had been established because of concerns over the region’s reputation for mistreatment of its imported work force, with many coming from the Indian subcontinent and the Philippines.

— New York Times, "N.Y.U. Promised Reforms in Abu Dhabi. Report Says It Has Reneged.," 10 May 2018
The most recent additions to the city, around the turn of the 21st century, have been from the Indian subcontinent.

— david sharos, Aurora Beacon-News, "New exhibit to focus on Aurora's diversity," 2 May 2018
Meanwhile, herders from the Eurasian steppe moved into the northern part of the subcontinent and mixed with Indus periphery people still there, forming the Ancestral North Indian population.

— lizzie wade, Science | AAAS, "South Asians are descended from a mix of farmers, herders, and hunter-gatherers, ancient DNA reveals," 18 Apr. 2018
Since emerging on the Indian subcontinent around 30 years ago, H58, which is resistant to as many as four classes of antibiotic, has spread to much of South-East Asia and, more recently, to sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania.

— The Economist, "A strain of typhoid could become virtually untreatable," 26 Apr. 2018
Three similar groups also mingled in ancient Europe, giving the two subcontinents surprisingly parallel histories.

— lizzie wade, Science | AAAS, "South Asians are descended from a mix of farmers, herders, and hunter-gatherers, ancient DNA reveals," 18 Apr. 2018
Reich’s collaborators from India didn’t like hearing that their own DNA samples attested to massive past migrations into the Indian subcontinent.

— jared diamond, New York Times, "A Brand-New Version of Our Origin Story," 20 Apr. 2018
The Vatican's interreligious dialogue office issued a message to Buddhists to mark the holiday of Vesak, which is celebrated at different times around Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

— Fox News, "Vatican urges Buddhists to join fight against corruption," 11 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'subcontinent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of subcontinent

1845

in the meaning defined above

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SUBCONTINENT Defined for English Language Learners

subcontinent

noun

Definition of subcontinent for English Language Learners

: a large area of land that is a part of a continent

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subcontinent

Definition of subcontinent

subcontinental

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SUBCONTINENT Defined for English Language Learners

subcontinent

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