subservience

noun sub·ser·vi·ence \ səb-ˈsər-vē-ən(t)s \

Definition of subservience

1 : a subservient or subordinate place or function

2 : obsequious servility

Recent Examples of subservience from the Web

Drollinger’s fondness for abject subservience even extends to climate change.

— nina burleigh, Newsweek, "Does God Believe in Trump? White Evangelicals are Sticking with Their "Prince of Lies"," 5 Oct. 2017
His utter subservience to the party’s donor class breaks from the pattern.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump, DeVos, and the Creation of an American Oligarchy," 31 Aug. 2017
There is nothing normal about an American president's subservience to Russia's interests and worldview.

— michael gerson, Alaska Dispatch News, "Trump’s subservience to Russia is just not normal," 24 July 2017
In the aftermath, Hoskins set aside his own grief in subservience to that of his younger sister, Meloria.

— dave sheinin, chicagotribune.com, "Amid historically bad Phillies season, Rhys Hoskins is smashing records and chasing Ted Williams," 30 Aug. 2017
Kyrie's) passing inclinations on the basketball court have not been regular enough to qualify as a phase, a craze, or anything but abject subservience to his one-on-one plays.

— chris fedor, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Cavaliers announce changes, additions to Koby Altman's staff," 26 July 2017
And Trump, who burned through three campaign managers in less than a year and routinely mocks his aides to their faces, is a hard boss to please, demanding not merely loyalty but, at times, subservience.

— maggie haberman, Orange County Register, "How Reince Priebus has emerged as a potential tamer of Trump," 18 Jan. 2017
On the sideline, Alessandro Di Battista, a party leader, said the era of Italian subservience to the United States was over.

— jason horowitz, New York Times, "With Italy No Longer in U.S. Focus, Russia Swoops to Fill the Void," 29 May 2017
Scruggs’s look at the way subservience is enforced—partly by the oppressed themselves, brainwashed into acceptance—is disquieting, to say the least.

— The New Yorker, "3/Fifths," 22 May 2017

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

First Known Use of subservience

circa 1676

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Definition of subservience

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First Known Use of subservience

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subservience

Definition of subservience

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First Known Use of subservience

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