subfield

noun

sub·​field ˈsəb-ˌfēld How to pronounce subfield (audio)
1
: a subset of a mathematical field that is itself a field
2
: a subdivision of a field (as of study)

Examples of subfield in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Varma is an associate professor of the psychological/medial anthropology subfield and the vice chair of undergraduate studies. News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2025 The move appears to drop nearly 400 of the library’s roughly 2000 journals, including several prominent titles in various agricultural subfields. Byscience News Staff, science.org, 20 Mar. 2025 In a paper describing her team’s analysis of 511 other papers, Ghassemi’s team reported that machine learning papers in healthcare were reproducible far less often than in other machine learning subfields. IEEE Spectrum, 29 Mar. 2021 The researchers who invoke oracles work in a subfield of computer science called computational complexity theory. Ben Brubaker, WIRED, 2 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for subfield

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of subfield was in 1894

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Cite this Entry

“Subfield.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subfield. Accessed 1 May. 2025.

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