Synonyms of subject

subject 1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈsəb-jikt 

1

as in topic

a major object of interest or concern (as in a discussion or artistic composition)

the subject of our discussion switched from who would be the next president to who was the greatest president in the nation's history

Synonyms & Similar Words

• topic
• matter
• theme
• question
• motif
• content
• essence
• idea
• motive
• issue
• purpose
• problem
• subject matter
• consideration
• basis
• substance
• core
• fundamental
• bulk
• heart
• count
• point
• body
• burden
• sum
• gist
• mass
• essential
• main
• debate
• crux
• nucleus
• staple
• net
• argument
• talking point
• kernel
• generality
• marrow
• pivot
• purport
• affair
• centerpiece
• bottom
• grist
• pith
• keynote
• quick
• nub
• essentiality
• nubbin

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• aside
• tangent
• excursion
• digression
• parenthesis
• interjection

2

as in citizen

a person who owes allegiance to a government and is protected by it

because of the tense situation in that country, British subjects were advised to return home as soon as possible

Synonyms & Similar Words

• citizen
• national
• freeman
• resident
• inhabitant
• countryman
• native
• nonimmigrant
• compatriot

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• alien
• stranger
• foreigner
• noncitizen
• immigrant
• nonnative

3

as in reason

something (as a belief) that serves as the basis for another thing

he has no subject to protest this time, but that's never stopped him before

Synonyms & Similar Words

• reason
• grounds
• motive
• why
• authority
• cause
• consideration
• account
• wherefore
• impetus
• occasion
• stimulus
• incentive
• inspiration
• antecedent
• instigation

subject

2 of 4

verb

səb-ˈjekt 

as in to dominate

to bring under one's control by force of arms

Attila the Hun subjected most of Europe to his barbaric pillage

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

subject

3 of 4

adjective

as in dependent

Related Words

• dependent
• bound
• unfree
• captive
• nonautonomous
• subjugated
• conquered
• fettered
• subordinate
• subdued
• non-self-governing
• enslaved
• subservient
• inferior

Dissimilar Words

• separate
• independent
• free
• sovereign
• autonomous
• freestanding
• released
• self-governing
• freeborn
• redeemed
• delivered
• self-ruling
• self-governed
• liberated
• freed
• emancipated
• manumitted

subjection

4 of 4

noun (2)

as in conquest

the act or process of bringing someone or something under one's control

a holy man for whom the subjection of earthly desires is the path to spiritual perfection

Synonyms & Similar Words

• conquest
• domination
• dominating
• subjugation
• subjecting
• subduing
• takeover
• subjugating
• victory
• vanquishing
• overpowering
• enslavement
• whipping
• triumph
• win
• winning
• defeat
• trimming
• drubbing
• licking
• beating
• trouncing
• shellacking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• liberation
• emancipation
• freeing
• release
• enfranchisement
• manumission

Synonym Chooser

How is the word subject distinct from other similar nouns?

The words citizen and national are common synonyms of subject. While all three words mean "a person owing allegiance to and entitled to the protection of a sovereign state," subject implies allegiance to a personal sovereign such as a monarch.

the king's subjects

When would citizen be a good substitute for subject?

In some situations, the words citizen and subject are roughly equivalent. However, citizen is preferred for one owing allegiance to a state in which sovereign power is retained by the people and sharing in the political rights of those people.

the rights of a free citizen

When is national a more appropriate choice than subject?

The synonyms national and subject are sometimes interchangeable, but national designates one who may claim the protection of a state and applies especially to one living or traveling outside that state.

American nationals working in the Middle East

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of subject

Noun

The industry’s response was to change the subject. —Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026

That project is the subject of some dispute and debate, too. —Susan Page, USA Today, 17 May 2026

Verb

Homeland Security officials even subjected him to a polygraph test, accusing him and other officials of leaking details of a private meeting. —Gabriela Aoun Angueira, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026

Marable said no one is happy about subjecting children to more testing. —Bri Hatch, Chalkbeat, 11 May 2026

Adjective

The employees’ union interpreted this initiative as an assault on local and subject-matter expertise. —E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 7 May 2026

If the local rents for the subject property are at least $1 more than the total house payment, then the property income qualifies. —Jeff Lazerson, Oc Register, 7 May 2026

Noun

The Handmaid's Tale spared no sensitivities when diving into the cruelest treatment people like June, and even Lydia, experience at the hands of a totalitarian system bent on the total subjection of women. —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Apr. 2026

As the man brawls with his in-laws, the boy is caught between two worlds, of male rage and female subjection. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2026

Phrases Containing subject

• subject (to)
• subject matter