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Synonym Chooser

How does the verb subdue differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of subdue are conquer, defeat, overcome, overthrow, reduce, and vanquish. While all these words mean "to get the better of by force or strategy," subdue implies a defeating and suppression.

subdued the native tribes after years of fighting

When is conquer a more appropriate choice than subdue?

While the synonyms conquer and subdue are close in meaning, conquer implies gaining mastery of.

Caesar conquered Gaul

How do defeat and vanquish relate to one another, in the sense of subdue?

Defeat does not imply the finality or completeness of vanquish which it otherwise equals.

the Confederates defeated the Union forces at Manassas

When can overcome be used instead of subdue?

The words overcome and subdue are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, overcome suggests getting the better of with difficulty or after hard struggle.

overcame a host of bureaucratic roadblocks

Where would overthrow be a reasonable alternative to subdue?

Although the words overthrow and subdue have much in common, overthrow stresses the bringing down or destruction of existing power.

violently overthrew the old regime

In what contexts can reduce take the place of subdue?

While in some cases nearly identical to subdue, reduce implies a forcing to capitulate or surrender.

the city was reduced after a month-long siege

When would vanquish be a good substitute for subdue?

The words vanquish and subdue can be used in similar contexts, but vanquish implies a complete overpowering.

vanquished the enemy and ended the war

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of subdue But whether these ideas resonate will depend largely on one’s tolerance for the subdued. Leila Latif, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025 Prestige beauty was flat as the market remained subdued. Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025 Valdez shot another person in the hand and a third in the leg while other partygoers fought to subdue him after the initial shooting, police said. Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 4 Sep. 2025 The usual carnival atmosphere of the Venice carpet was subdued for the powerful premiere. Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for subdue
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subdue
Verb
  • How Wi-Fi HaLow Can Help Address These Needs To overcome connectivity gaps in large-scale environmental monitoring, some researchers and technologists are turning to Wi-Fi HaLow.
    Michael De Nil, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The movie adaptation is also rife with metaphors about boys becoming men and overcoming life-or-death circumstances to make it out the other side.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Carr had been a game warden in Northern Rhodesia (as Zambia was then called), where hunting dominated.
    Daniel Scheffler, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • While oversized leather bomber jackets and trench coats continue to dominate fall trend reports, more voluminous, blanketing silhouettes will surely gain momentum as temperatures begin to plummet.
    Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Five people died and 140 police officers were injured before the insurrection was quelled.
    Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2025
  • In its way, this was a high occasion of state, an opportunity for the government to make a display of its brisk, sober ability to act, and to quell the unrest that this horrific and very public murder had aroused.
    Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In 2023-24, Jones had a career year for the Mavericks, who were defeated by the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Some decisions are prudent, such as the Las Vegas Raiders to defeat the New England Patriots at a nice underdog price.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The Australian rock outfit rises on multiple tallies in the United States this frame and even manages to double up on one tally as a former bestseller performs well again, and the group nearly re-conquers a competitive roster.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Sometimes love conquers all — with the help of modern medicine.
    Viola Kosome, NPR, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Although Canon had mandated that the Cat's programmability be suppressed, the IAI team nevertheless maintained the ability to compute expressions, which Canon permitted as an extension of the editor metaphor.
    Cameron Kaiser, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
  • However, the country's typically strict online censors did not appear to be limiting discussion in the comments—a tactic often used to suppress sensitive or politically awkward narratives.
    Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Operating at the Frontier If yesterday’s winners mastered the deal model, tomorrow’s winners will master integration, culture, and execution.
    Gustaf Lundberg Toresson, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Within the first two hours online, high-level fighting players had already seemingly mastered the game’s beginner-friendly systems and begun using the easily executable combos to dominate the scene, air juggling hapless newbies into oblivion.
    Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Richmond served as the functional center for the chattel slavery system in the United States, the capitol city of the Confederacy during the Civil War and was one of the many cities that subjected residents to redlining lending practices.
    Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Today, the Court needlessly subjects countless more to these exact same indignities.
    Dan Gooding Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Subdue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subdue. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.

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