subfield

noun

sub·​field ˈsəb-ˌfēld 

1

: a subset of a mathematical field that is itself a field

2

: a subdivision of a field (as of study)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

It’s been a subfield of immunology that hasn’t gotten a lot of public attention. —Quanta Magazine, 21 June 2022

For comparison, the most popular subfield, condensed matter physics, boasts over 62,000 physicists, comprising over 40 percent of all specialized physicists. —Jonathon Keats, Discover Magazine, 27 Aug. 2019

While there are no national-level statistics about robotics researchers by race, statistics about engineering provide some insight into participation, since robotics is often classified as a subfield of engineering. —IEEE Spectrum, 10 Sep. 2020

The result was a landmark in the subfield of mathematics called additive combinatorics. —Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 5 Dec. 2022

Machine learning is a subfield of AI, and both technologies are often mentioned in connection with one another. —Jessica Wong, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2022

Some senior astronomers doubted that the flashy, resource-hungry subfield could deliver much more than one-off measurements of a few unique planets. —Quanta Magazine, 3 Nov. 2022

Because the strands of a knot are flexible like string, mathematicians view knot theory as a subfield of topology, the study of malleable shapes. —Quanta Magazine, 31 Oct. 2022

Seager, who met Kaltenegger at a summer school program in 1997, now lauds the remarkable boldness that led an undergraduate to join a subfield that was still so fringe and ephemeral. —Quanta Magazine, 3 Nov. 2022

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Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined at sense 2