as in conquest
the act or process of bringing someone or something under one's control
the subjugation of much of Europe by Napoléon
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Recent Examples of subjugation
The Civil War breaking out just a century later showcases why white supremacy and the subjugation of Black people and people of color have meant a certain level of instability for many American citizens since the very beginning.
—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
24 June 2026
Baldwin’s position was that the centrality of slavery and racial subjugation in American history could not simply be reversed by legislative fiat.
—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
Maybe the typical wedding remains an exercise in female subjugation and compulsory heterosexuality, but straight women aren’t the only characters suffering at the altar.
—
Judy Berman,
Time,
27 May 2026
For many Indians, the loss of the Koh-i-Noor is symbolic of the country's subjugation under colonial rule.
—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
29 Apr. 2026
Across TikTok, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, Goodreads, and Reddit, reactions have focused less on the craft of fiction writing than on the spiritual subjugation of women that any media about this topic must, by nature, interrogate and include.
—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
28 Apr. 2026
That power was built up over centuries partly to compensate for the humiliation, subjugation, and grievous bondage of Russia’s history, real and imagined.
—
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
In pre-Christian Ireland, sucking breasts was a way of showing subjugation to a king and the cutting out of Old Croghan Man’s nipples is, historians believe, an indication that he had been thus stripped of his claims to kingship.
—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
17 Mar. 2026
The continent’s failure to learn could lead not just to the subjugation of individual nations but to the end of the European project.
—
Liam Denning,
Bloomberg,
12 Mar. 2026
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
24 June 2026
Baldwin’s position was that the centrality of slavery and racial subjugation in American history could not simply be reversed by legislative fiat.
—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
Maybe the typical wedding remains an exercise in female subjugation and compulsory heterosexuality, but straight women aren’t the only characters suffering at the altar.
—
Judy Berman,
Time,
27 May 2026
For many Indians, the loss of the Koh-i-Noor is symbolic of the country's subjugation under colonial rule.
—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
29 Apr. 2026
Across TikTok, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, Goodreads, and Reddit, reactions have focused less on the craft of fiction writing than on the spiritual subjugation of women that any media about this topic must, by nature, interrogate and include.
—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
28 Apr. 2026
That power was built up over centuries partly to compensate for the humiliation, subjugation, and grievous bondage of Russia’s history, real and imagined.
—
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
In pre-Christian Ireland, sucking breasts was a way of showing subjugation to a king and the cutting out of Old Croghan Man’s nipples is, historians believe, an indication that he had been thus stripped of his claims to kingship.
—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
17 Mar. 2026
The continent’s failure to learn could lead not just to the subjugation of individual nations but to the end of the European project.
—
Liam Denning,
Bloomberg,
12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subjugation
Noun
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To that point, human history was a tale of conquest and caste and rigid hierarchies, a world where the strong dominated the weak, where power and wealth and status flowed through lineage and the many were ruled by the few.
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Related Stories What these producers share is a conviction that the Canaries’ historical position — as a staging post for conquest, migration and ecological transformation — generates stories with the kind of cross-cultural resonance that buyers in Japan, West Asia and Latin America will recognize.
Noun
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Complete domination from Portugal in the first half.
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After all, the statistical domination was quite clear.
Noun
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Testimony to this, kids under 12 only represented 4% of the audience for Masters of the Universe during its opening weekend according to Deadline, with the over 35 age group dominating at 57% and the over 45s, who grew up on the original cartoon, coming to 36%.
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Ben Brown’s pitching line didn’t necessarily reflect a dominating outing — one run on seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts in five innings — but his start Saturday night against the Giants was one of his best of the season.
Cite this Entry
“Subjugation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subjugation. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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