as in to subdue
to bring under one's control by force of arms
explorers who subjugated the natives in the name of religion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in conquest
the act or process of bringing someone or something under one's control
the subjugation of much of Europe by Napoléon
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of subjugate
Taryn Finley, Refinery29, 7 Nov. 2025
The Spanish subjugated and enslaved the indigenous population of the Canaries—the Guanches—exporting some of them to Madeira or Europe, while others were forced to labor on Canarian sugar plantations.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 25 Dec. 2025
Compared to the Russian hope at the start of the war for the total subjugation of Ukraine, and the past 400 years of Ukrainian history, it could indeed be called a qualified Ukrainian victory.
—Anatol Lieven, Time, 28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subjugate
Verb
Its power-hungry men have made laws that subjugate women to follow an extreme set of laws that essentially gives the government total control of their bodies.
—Taryn Finley, Refinery29, 7 Nov. 2025
The Spanish subjugated and enslaved the indigenous population of the Canaries—the Guanches—exporting some of them to Madeira or Europe, while others were forced to labor on Canarian sugar plantations.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
This level of dealmaking far exceeds the bowling alley bets and small-time street gambles that have shaped Marty’s way of moving in the world, and Rockwell represents the kind of ruthless American capitalism and competition that requires humiliation and subjugation.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 25 Dec. 2025
Compared to the Russian hope at the start of the war for the total subjugation of Ukraine, and the past 400 years of Ukrainian history, it could indeed be called a qualified Ukrainian victory.
—Anatol Lieven, Time, 28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subjugate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subjugate
Verb
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Colleyville Heritage dumps Argyle in 2 OTs Colleyville Heritage got a hugh lay in by Sameer Johnson at the fourth quarter buzzer, off an assist by Dmauri Evans, to tie the game at 48 allowing the Panthers to subdue Argyle 57-51 in double overtime on Thursday.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Jan. 2026
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Nevertheless, the immediate market response to the recent earnings report was relatively subdued.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Now, she is being recast as a brilliant linguist who survived conquest, enslavement and patriarchy.—
Kevinisha Walker,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Tariffs, conquests; all are subverted to this man’s ego.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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While some apps are experimental or low-effort, the approach mirrors the early days of iOS and Android app stores, where quirky and test apps dominated before the ecosystem matured.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The opposition dominates for spells but struggles to bypass his strong defence.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Meanwhile, far from trending toward retail domination, US e-commerce growth is flattening.—
Greg Petro,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
As the 1950s rolled into the 1960s, more and more African countries were freeing themselves from European colonial domination; this wave of liberation prompted the emergence of liberation movements in South Africa and anti-apartheid protests.—
Eve Fairbanks,
The Dial,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Skinny Pedro had conquered for each man in the camp the sacred right to choose how to confront his own death.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
-
That, plus some Sunday morning news interviews and a shot at conquering Cuba, and all for the bargain basement price of one soul.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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If the approval of the most important tastemakers (gay people) wasn’t enough, The New Yorker had crowned Industry as the best TV show of 2024, with the show dominating critics’ year-end lists, from Vanity Fair to Vulture and The Guardian.—
Louis Staples,
Glamour,
12 Jan. 2026
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Essentially, the Golden Globes TV honors were a redux of the TV Academy’s Emmy Awards winners with The Pitt, The Studio and Adolescence dominating both.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Between 1995 and 2015, both publications—which have a combined circulation of some eighty thousand Canadian family doctors and pharmacists—regularly ran columns from the Motherisk team without subjecting them to peer review.—
Ben Taub,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
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While the Jacksonian program helped produce a massive depression, the Jacksonians’ intention was to accelerate capitalism by democratizing it, not to tame it by subjecting it to government planning.—
Walter Russell Mead,
The Atlantic,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch also spoke before his squad defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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These therapies are not universally successful, of course, but can often save lives and defeat cancers where other methods are unsuccessful.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subjugate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subjugate. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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