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
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
Many slaves, Murray noted, internalized this ideal of American freedom despite their own subjugation.
—Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
After weeks of subjugation at Linda's hands, Bradley discovers that his fiancée and her boat guide had come to the island to rescue them—but Linda killed the pair to avoid returning to the real world.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
America is rooted in the rejection of arbitrary power and the subjugation of the individual to the state.
—Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 23 Jan. 2026
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
Many slaves, Murray noted, internalized this ideal of American freedom despite their own subjugation.
—Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
After weeks of subjugation at Linda's hands, Bradley discovers that his fiancée and her boat guide had come to the island to rescue them—but Linda killed the pair to avoid returning to the real world.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
America is rooted in the rejection of arbitrary power and the subjugation of the individual to the state.
—Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subjugation
Noun
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Two days later, Moscow was due to host Russia’s annual May 9 military parade, a celebration linked very intimately with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, who had revived this Soviet-era celebration of Stalin’s victory over Nazi Germany and his conquest of Europe.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
11 May 2026
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The conquest of Canaan is cited to show that God approves of wiping out whole nations.—
Kenneth Seeskin,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
The 2026 Oscars marked the end of a nearly year-old chapter full of global domination for the film.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
-
There’s outperformance, and then there’s what Technology has done versus the rest of the market over the last six weeks — complete domination.—
Frank Cappelleri,
CNBC,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
With such a dominating presence in the first three seasons of the PWHL, the Frost brass expects their roster to be raided.—
Theodore Tollefson,
Twin Cities,
14 May 2026
-
Local leaders say changes in water flow have also contributed to the crisis, with freshwater now dominating areas where saltwater once helped suppress or kill Hydrilla verticillata.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subjugation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subjugation. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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