subdiscipline
noun
sub·dis·ci·pline
ˌsəb-ˈdi-sə-plən 
variants
or less commonly sub-discipline
plural subdisciplines also sub-disciplines
: a discipline (such as an academic discipline) that is part of a broader discipline
Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline of chemistry.
The management of programmers is a discipline unto itself. There are subdisciplines that deal with how coders communicate.—
Paul Ford
Paul FordExamples of subdiscipline in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Look for Niche Programs Within More General Fields Finally, while students shouldn’t pursue a niche or obscure major simply to leverage their chances of acceptance, one of the most effective strategies for major selection is to look at majors offered in subdisciplines of your broader field.
—Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
An entire subdiscipline of paleontology, called palynology, focuses on the study of fossil pollen.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 June 2025
Biologists of many different subdisciplines categorize life in a field called systematics.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Apr. 2025
The problem is that not all universities ask external reviewers, who are chosen because of their expertise in the scholar’s subdiscipline, to focus on their research.
—Bykatie Langin, science.org, 4 Oct. 2024
Lynch’s protocol for the subdiscipline involves identifying and digging up samples and then creating metrics by which multiple plants’ root systems can be judged.
—Maddie Bender, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Mar. 2024
The subdiscipline basically denotes the study of everything that can be uprooted with a shovel.
—Maddie Bender, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Mar. 2024
Trinh and his colleagues have emphasized that their approach could also be applied to other mathematical subdisciplines such as combinatorics, however.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 17 Jan. 2024
Spheres are especially important in a subdiscipline of geometry known as contact geometry.
—Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 7 Nov. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
An entire subdiscipline of paleontology, called palynology, focuses on the study of fossil pollen.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 June 2025
Biologists of many different subdisciplines categorize life in a field called systematics.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Apr. 2025
The problem is that not all universities ask external reviewers, who are chosen because of their expertise in the scholar’s subdiscipline, to focus on their research.
—Bykatie Langin, science.org, 4 Oct. 2024
Lynch’s protocol for the subdiscipline involves identifying and digging up samples and then creating metrics by which multiple plants’ root systems can be judged.
—Maddie Bender, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Mar. 2024
The subdiscipline basically denotes the study of everything that can be uprooted with a shovel.
—Maddie Bender, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Mar. 2024
Trinh and his colleagues have emphasized that their approach could also be applied to other mathematical subdisciplines such as combinatorics, however.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 17 Jan. 2024
Spheres are especially important in a subdiscipline of geometry known as contact geometry.
—Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 7 Nov. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Subdiscipline.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subdiscipline. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share