as in continent
a large area of land that is a part of a continent
—used especially to refer to the area that includes India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh
the Indian subcontinent
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Recent Examples of subcontinent
Cash in hand, the sugarcane planters of Mauritius replaced their slaves with contract labor from the Indian subcontinent.
—
David Frum, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
Her father, Amrit, a high-ranking civil servant, was born in Punjab before the partition that divided the subcontinent.
—Rebecca Traister, Vulture, 10 Feb. 2026
The men’s Twenty20 World Cup gets underway in India and Sri Lanka next month, but the cricket tournament is exposing tensions between nations on the Indian subcontinent.
—Colin Millar, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2026
The movie, released months after India and Pakistan engaged in a brief armed conflict, has created a firestorm on the subcontinent, with movie critics facing online attacks over reviews.
—Tasneem Nashrulla, semafor.com, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subcontinent
David Frum, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
Her father, Amrit, a high-ranking civil servant, was born in Punjab before the partition that divided the subcontinent.
—Rebecca Traister, Vulture, 10 Feb. 2026
The men’s Twenty20 World Cup gets underway in India and Sri Lanka next month, but the cricket tournament is exposing tensions between nations on the Indian subcontinent.
—Colin Millar, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2026
The movie, released months after India and Pakistan engaged in a brief armed conflict, has created a firestorm on the subcontinent, with movie critics facing online attacks over reviews.
—Tasneem Nashrulla, semafor.com, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subcontinent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subcontinent
Noun
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The company is set to develop a fictional universe inspired by the negotiator’s vast experience in mediating high-pressure situations such as nuclear standoffs, labor disputes and peace talks across four continents.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2026
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This building is likely one of the oldest surviving structures on the entire continent.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The deal is Ascentium’s most recent in more than a dozen acquisitions, plugging a gap in the company’s mainland China coverage while deepening its footprint in hot Southeast Asian growth markets.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
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The government has built a new capital on the mainland, named Ciudad de la Paz, or City of Peace, but the transfer of government buildings hasn’t been completed yet.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The Gulf of Mexico formed about two hundred million years ago, when the supercontinent Pangea split up.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
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During the time Tanyka lived, Earth’s land was joined into the supercontinent Pangaea.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subcontinent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subcontinent. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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