subtype

noun

sub·​type ˈsəb-ˌtīp 

variants or less commonly sub-type

plural subtypes also sub-types

: a type that is a subdivision of a broader type

… the … vaccine has a new, additional molecular component that its developers believe will contribute to a broader range of protection against subtypes of HIV found in North America, Europe, Australia, Central America, and South America.

—The Journal of the American Medical Association

… the neurotransmitter serotonin has at least 14 different known subtypes of receptors.

—Steven F. Hyman

Among subtypes of juggling found in circus shows are juggling on horseback and strong-man juggling with iron balls.

—Mark Levine

Examples of subtype in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Trending Now: Multiple sclerosis has distinct subtypes, study finds, pointing to different treatments Most of all, advocates say there’s no reason not to ban the chemical given there’s other, albeit more expensive, ways to decaffeinate coffee. —Nicholas Florko, STAT, 28 Mar. 2024

Gentle parenting is a subtype of authoritative parenting, which is accepted as the healthiest of the three core parenting styles. —Tyler Santora, Parents, 22 Mar. 2024

Those scars lend further credence to the theory that the cohort indeed represents a new subtype because the parasitic fish only live in deep water. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 20 Mar. 2024

Some of the most common subtypes are irritant and allergic contact dermatitis. —Amanda Gardner, Health, 4 Mar. 2024

Direct-to-chip and immersion cooling come in two subtypes: single-phase and two-phase. —Matt Kimball, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024

For some people—perhaps even a majority with systemic lupus—a single drug may not be sufficient to address the heterogeneous nature of the condition, and a lot of work is now looking at how combinations of existing drugs may help patients with specific subtypes of SLE. —Markham Heid, TIME, 27 Dec. 2023

The company, which has received grants from the National Institutes of Health, has been working on treatments for two of the rarer subtypes of the condition. —Theresa Vargas, Washington Post, 2 Dec. 2023

The four virus types include two influenza type A subtypes, H1N1 and H3N2, and the two influenza type B lineages, Victoria and Yamagata. —Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 29 Sep. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1816, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

subtype

1 of 2 noun

sub·​type ˈsəb-ˌtīp 

: a type that is subordinate to or included in another type

the blood group subtypes

subtypes of a disease

subtype

2 of 2 transitive verb

subtyped; subtyping

: to classify according to subtype

schizophrenic patients subtyped as paranoid or catatonic