sub·or·di·nate
sə-ˈbȯr-də-nət 
-ˈbȯrd-nət
1
: placed in or occupying a lower class, rank, or position : inferior
a subordinate officer
2
: submissive to or controlled by authority
3
a
: of, relating to, or constituting a clause that functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb
b
subordinately
adverb
subordinateness
noun
sub·or·di·nate
sə-ˈbȯr-də-nət
-ˈbȯrd-nət
: one who stands in order or rank below another : one that is subordinate
sub·or·di·nate
sə-ˈbȯr-də-ˌnāt
subordinated; subordinating
1
: to make subject or subservient
2
: to treat as of less value or importance
stylist … whose crystalline prose subordinates content to form—
Susan Heath
Susan HeathExamples of subordinate in a Sentence
Adjective
About two-thirds of the way through, this nonsense comes to life for fifteen minutes when the point of view shifts to that of a subordinate character, an aging thug (well played by Laurence Fishburne) who is employed by the casino to spot card counters.
—Richard Alleva, Commonweal, May 9, 2008
A reporter's right to protect a source is a subordinate matter that obfuscates the more important issue of violating journalistic integrity and responsibility when one becomes an agent, if not a pawn, of a mean-spirited and vindictive retaliation scheme.
—Jon Duffey, Editor & Publisher, 13 Oct. 2003
She was thirty-three, furiously frustrated with her subordinate role in the studio—attending to the model's hair, makeup, and clothes—and chronically dissatisfied with her own pictures, which represented a different kind of woman's work.
—Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2003
his contention is that environment plays a subordinate role to heredity in determining what we become
Noun
Case in point: the dismissal of advertising chief Julie Roehm, accused of having an affair with a subordinate (also fired) and taking freebies from an advertising agency (also fired) in violation of company policies.
—Bill Saporito, Time, 12 Nov. 2007
He ran an extremely unhappy headquarters. He tended to berate subordinates, frequently shouting and cursing at them.
—Thomas E. Ricks, Fiasco, 2006
She also found it impossible to give negative feedback. As a consequence, her work and that of her subordinates started to suffer, and she was missing deadlines.
—Steven Berglas, Harvard Business Review, June 2002
She leaves the day-to-day running of the firm to her subordinates.
subordinates do most of the actual creation of the famous designer's clothing designs
Verb
Clinton administration Trade Representative Mickey Kantor declared: "The days when we could afford to subordinate our economic interests to foreign policy or defense concerns are long past."
—Lawrence F. Kaplan, New Republic, 18 Mar. 2002
The real reason, though, is that art survives life, and this unpalatable realization lies behind the lumpen desire to subordinate the former to the latter. The finite always mistakes the permanent for the infinite and nurtures designs upon it.
—Joseph Brodsky, Times Literary Supplement, 26 Oct. 1990
it is one of the lessons of history that more powerful civilizations often subordinate weaker ones
Richard Alleva, Commonweal, May 9, 2008
A reporter's right to protect a source is a subordinate matter that obfuscates the more important issue of violating journalistic integrity and responsibility when one becomes an agent, if not a pawn, of a mean-spirited and vindictive retaliation scheme.
—Jon Duffey, Editor & Publisher, 13 Oct. 2003
She was thirty-three, furiously frustrated with her subordinate role in the studio—attending to the model's hair, makeup, and clothes—and chronically dissatisfied with her own pictures, which represented a different kind of woman's work.
—Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2003
his contention is that environment plays a subordinate role to heredity in determining what we become
Noun
Case in point: the dismissal of advertising chief Julie Roehm, accused of having an affair with a subordinate (also fired) and taking freebies from an advertising agency (also fired) in violation of company policies.
—Bill Saporito, Time, 12 Nov. 2007
He ran an extremely unhappy headquarters. He tended to berate subordinates, frequently shouting and cursing at them.
—Thomas E. Ricks, Fiasco, 2006
She also found it impossible to give negative feedback. As a consequence, her work and that of her subordinates started to suffer, and she was missing deadlines.
—Steven Berglas, Harvard Business Review, June 2002
She leaves the day-to-day running of the firm to her subordinates.
subordinates do most of the actual creation of the famous designer's clothing designs
Verb
Clinton administration Trade Representative Mickey Kantor declared: "The days when we could afford to subordinate our economic interests to foreign policy or defense concerns are long past."
—Lawrence F. Kaplan, New Republic, 18 Mar. 2002
The real reason, though, is that art survives life, and this unpalatable realization lies behind the lumpen desire to subordinate the former to the latter. The finite always mistakes the permanent for the infinite and nurtures designs upon it.
—Joseph Brodsky, Times Literary Supplement, 26 Oct. 1990
it is one of the lessons of history that more powerful civilizations often subordinate weaker ones
Recent Examples on the Web
Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Indeed, allowing men but not women to have multiple spouses is clearly unequal and entwined with patriarchal ideology that positions women as subordinate or inferior to men.
—David W. Lawson, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2025
Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
After his chief of staff Thomas Cook was forced to resign for having a relationship with a subordinate, that subordinate received a promotion and often sat at the table opposite Cook negotiating key economic development deals between the city and private clients Cook represented.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 17 Oct. 2025
Leslie Picker, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2025
Instead, authoritarian leaders subordinate civil society organizations to achieve their own ends.
—Christopher Justin Einolf, The Conversation, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subordinate
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Adjective
Yasuda ordered his subordinate, Lieutenant Colonel Tatsusaburo Suzuki, to prepare a report on the feasibility of a uranium project in Japan.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Indeed, allowing men but not women to have multiple spouses is clearly unequal and entwined with patriarchal ideology that positions women as subordinate or inferior to men.
—David W. Lawson, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
The Charges The obstruction charge centers on allegations that Comey directed subordinates to remove or conceal those memos from FBI systems after his dismissal in May 2017, actions prosecutors claim impeded a lawful investigation into the unauthorized disclosure of classified material.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
After his chief of staff Thomas Cook was forced to resign for having a relationship with a subordinate, that subordinate received a promotion and often sat at the table opposite Cook negotiating key economic development deals between the city and private clients Cook represented.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
However, the deeds that were supposed to to secure the loans were ultimately subordinated without CB&T’s knowledge, Zions said in the lawsuit.
—Leslie Picker, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2025
Instead, authoritarian leaders subordinate civil society organizations to achieve their own ends.
—Christopher Justin Einolf, The Conversation, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subordinate
Cite this Entry
“Subordinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subordinate. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
subordinate
1 of 3 adjective
sub·or·di·nate
sə-ˈbȯrd-ᵊn-ət
-ˈbȯrd-nət
1
: placed in or occupying a lower class or rank
a subordinate officer
2
: yielding to or controlled by authority
3
a
: of, relating to, or being a clause that functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb
b
subordinately
adverb
subordinateness
noun
subordinate
2 of 3 noun
: one that is subordinate
subordinate
3 of 3 verb
sub·or·di·nate
sə-ˈbȯrd-ᵊn-ˌāt
subordinated; subordinating
: to make subordinate
Legal Definition
subordinate
1 of 2 adjective
sub·or·di·nate
sə-ˈbȯrd-ᵊn-ət
1
: placed in or occupying a lower rank, class, or position
2
: submissive to or controlled by authority
subordinate
2 of 2 transitive verb
sub·or·di·nate
sə-ˈbȯrd-ᵊn-ˌāt
subordinated; subordinating
: to assign lower priority to (as a debt or creditor) : postpone satisfaction of until after satisfaction of another
the equitable assignee will be subordinated to the rights of the assignor's trustee in bankruptcy—J. D. Calamari and J. M. Perillo
J. D. Calamari and J. M. PerilloLove words? Need even more definitions?
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