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

There are three major subtypes: hormone receptor positive, HER2+, and triple negative (TNBC). —Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Aug. 2025

Alopecia subtype: Nonscarring forms of alopecia offer a better chance of regrowth compared to scarring types. —Sarah Jividen, Verywell Health, 29 July 2025

Time as a Genetic Architect Perhaps the most poetic finding was this: each autism subtype is shaped not just by which genes are altered, but when those genes come online. —William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025

This research provides a framework for identifying additional subtypes, Foss-Feig says. —Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 16 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1816, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for subtype

• bagpipe
• blowpipe
• standpipe
• stovepipe
• tailpipe
• unripe
• windpipe
• allotype
• antitype
• archetype
• biotype
• collotype

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