as in conquest
the act or process of bringing someone or something under one's control
the subduing of the wild horse was accomplished by a method reputedly used by Plains Indians
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in noninflammatory
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in unemotional
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in defeating
to achieve a victory over
subdued her fear of the dark by joining a club for spelunkers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in conquering
to bring under one's control by force of arms
subdued the rebels and sent their leaders to the gallows
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in quelling
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force
labored through the night to subdue the river's rising waters by building a wall of sandbags around their property
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of subduing
Barak Mendelsohn,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Aug. 2016
Entertainment Weekly,
3 June 2026
Officers then shot her with a Taser, subduing her enough to take her into custody, police said.
—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Trump thought the Secret Service did an excellent job subduing the gunman but the White House is reviewing security for major events for the country's 250th anniversary.
—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
The defense was more than satisfactory in subduing the league’s top offense.
—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
19 Apr. 2026
Mario himself is played mostly straight by Pratt, subduing the exaggerated Italian accent from the games, while retaining the underdog aspect of a blue collar guy burdened with greater purpose.
—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
5 Apr. 2026
There, the pioneers—practical, inventive, restless, exuberant white men—clashed with Indigenous peoples, subduing them and a wilderness filled with wild animals and abundant natural resources.
—
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Multiple officers were involved in subduing Guity and placing him in handcuffs, police said.
—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
14 Jan. 2026
As the representative for the armed wing of a human empire, you're tasked with subduing these Lovecraftian abominations and securing a foothold for humanity on alien worlds.
—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Empowered but often improperly trained Israelis fearful of any Palestinian-looking individual, ended up killing, instead of subduing, attackers, which further inflamed tensions.
—
Barak Mendelsohn,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Aug. 2016
Verb
Viewers have already seen glimpses of the premiere, which involves Aang and Katara subduing a sea serpent while guiding refugees across a treacherous path.
—
Entertainment Weekly,
3 June 2026
Officers then shot her with a Taser, subduing her enough to take her into custody, police said.
—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Trump thought the Secret Service did an excellent job subduing the gunman but the White House is reviewing security for major events for the country's 250th anniversary.
—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
The defense was more than satisfactory in subduing the league’s top offense.
—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
19 Apr. 2026
Mario himself is played mostly straight by Pratt, subduing the exaggerated Italian accent from the games, while retaining the underdog aspect of a blue collar guy burdened with greater purpose.
—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
5 Apr. 2026
There, the pioneers—practical, inventive, restless, exuberant white men—clashed with Indigenous peoples, subduing them and a wilderness filled with wild animals and abundant natural resources.
—
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Multiple officers were involved in subduing Guity and placing him in handcuffs, police said.
—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
14 Jan. 2026
As the representative for the armed wing of a human empire, you're tasked with subduing these Lovecraftian abominations and securing a foothold for humanity on alien worlds.
—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
5 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subduing
Noun
-
One showed Thomas on a mountaintop, swinging shirtless from a summit cross at the moment of conquest.
-
But a sprawling 1,000-year-old site unearthed in Denmark shifts the focus from raids and conquests to a far tamer pursuit — the textile production that likely made those expeditions possible.
Adjective
-
Mineral formulas also tend to be fragrance-free, noncomedogenic, and noninflammatory, says Dr. Engelman.
-
Burgum, 67 years old and known for a casual style and noninflammatory rhetoric, was never a significant presence in the race.
Adjective
-
Instead, in much of popular culture, men often get messages encouraging them to be stoic and unemotional.
-
Without wishing to give away the ending of a real-life case finally resolved in 2008, the information disclosed is anger-inducing and the unresponsive, unemotional demeanor of the perpetrator truly chilling.
Verb
-
The first ever major league game to be played in Europe resulted in the Yankees defeating the Red Sox 17-13 in front of 60,000 spectators at London Olympic Stadium.
-
The team displayed impressive form in the preliminary tournament qualifiers, winning all eight of its matches, scoring 37 goals, and defeating four-time World Cup champions Italy twice.
Verb
-
Olivia Rodrigo Finally Hits the Downloads Chart’s Summit Rodrigo has come very close to conquering the Official Album Downloads chart in the past, but her first two studio LPs missed the throne by just one space.
-
For decades, biologists thought that early tetrapods, ancient vertebrates that started conquering the land over 300 million years ago, developed like modern amphibians—beginning their lives as purely aquatic tadpoles and then metamorphosing into terrestrial adults.
Verb
-
The very system itself - schooling and parenting - now operates on quelling agency.
-
The mosquitoes came out in droves at night, just before bed, quelling our ambitions of stargazing or watching for the northern lights.
Noun
-
After Kylian Mbappé's dominating performance against Sweden on Tuesday, France secured its place in Philadelphia's Round of 16 match on the Fourth of July.
-
Díaz’s dominating force in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations won him the tournament’s golden boot and secured Morocco’s place in the final.
Adjective
-
Agencies resist working with NDS NDS’s unimpressive output has reportedly made agencies hesitant to work with the group.
-
Beautyberry shrubs put on their best show in the fall when clusters of white or purple fruit appear on the branches after the tiny, unimpressive summer blooms disappear.
Cite this Entry
“Subduing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subduing. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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