Synonyms of subjugate

subjugate

verb

ˈsəb-ji-ˌgāt 

as in to subdue

to bring under one's control by force of arms

explorers who subjugated the natives in the name of religion

Synonyms & Similar Words

• subdue
• dominate
• conquer
• subject
• defeat
• enslave
• overcome
• vanquish
• subordinate
• pacify
• overpower
• reduce
• crush
• annihilate
• beat
• smash
• suppress
• lick
• whip
• prevail (over)
• triumph (over)
• quell
• rout
• mow (down)
• repress
• trounce
• thrash
• clobber
• quash
• smother
• squelch
• silence
• drub
• squash
• put down
• crack down (on)
• wallop
• snuff (out)
• skunk
• break
• clamp down (on)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• liberate
• emancipate
• enfranchise
• free
• release
• discharge
• manumit
• spring
• unbind
• unfetter
• unchain
• uncage

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of subjugate

Putin began the year projecting confidence about his campaign to subjugate Ukraine, despite incremental progress on the battlefield. — Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026

Its founder, Ayatollah Khomeini, established a religious dictatorship that subjugates the Iranian people under sharia law, while zealously exporting its dogma by force. — Elan Journo, Oc Register, 10 Mar. 2026

Likewise, meekness once meant not becoming weak, but subjugating power to reason – not letting anger take control. — Timothy J. Pawl, The Conversation, 23 Feb. 2026

However, once Hernán Cortés triumphed, the conquistadors went from waging war — vanquishing the Aztecs — to the project of subjugating Indigenous holdouts and building a self-sustaining territory loyal to the crown. — Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026