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
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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
Ivo H. Daalder, Foreign Affairs, 10 Sep. 2025
Karina has subjugated the Macris—former president Mauricio and Buenos Aires City Mayor Jorge.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025
The fight for human rights was an urgent demand that called upon all people—regardless of race, socioeconomic background, gender, or nationality—to fight against the subjugation of Black people everywhere.
—Time, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subjugate
Verb
Russia’s war against Ukraine has much broader aims than subjugating an independent country.
—Ivo H. Daalder, Foreign Affairs, 10 Sep. 2025
Karina has subjugated the Macris—former president Mauricio and Buenos Aires City Mayor Jorge.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
How could the woman who wrote so piercingly about women’s subjugation subjugate herself to not just one but two men?
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025
The fight for human rights was an urgent demand that called upon all people—regardless of race, socioeconomic background, gender, or nationality—to fight against the subjugation of Black people everywhere.
—Time, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subjugate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subjugate
Verb
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After a promising opening drive, Young was largely subdued in a game where the opposing defense was sold out on the run.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Nov. 2025
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Video shared with the Herald showed Jaramillo trying to subdue Rustrian on the ground, the pair rolling around in the grass.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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In the Caribbean, French admirals set their sights on the conquest of sugar islands like Jamaica—the diamonds in King George’s glittering imperial crown.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
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His plays gleefully plumb the wickedest aspects of the human psyche, delivering tales of relentless conquest, Jewish perfidy, deals with the devil, and gay love.—
Isaac Butler,
The Atlantic,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Trade discussions dominated those meetings, but there were signs of growing tensions over Beijing’s surging conventional and nuclear arsenal.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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The Bills' run-heavy offense -- which has piled up a league-high 1,292 yards in just eight games -- should dominate this one and allow Buffalo to not only win, but cover the substantial spread.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Everything bops breezily along, stopping occasionally to have Dek growl maxims about strength through domination, and observe a decapitation or two.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
4 Nov. 2025
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By 1974, though, many women had already discarded those notions as instruments of domination, psychic equivalents of the whalebone corset.—
James Marcus,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Having conquered the pop world with ease, Rosalía is now embracing difficulty.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
7 Nov. 2025
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Toyota may be struggling against Tesla in the global EV sweepstakes, but Hello Kitty is conquering the world.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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On a night when the Broncos offense sputtered and Rizzi’s special teams had several face-palm moments, Skinner’s block was the Broncos’ bailout, and the differentiator that underscored a dominating performance on defense.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
7 Nov. 2025
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And all signs point to Malinin’s dominating in Milan, much as fellow American Nathan Chen did at the 2022 Beijing Games (Chen left competitive skating after his gold).—
Nick Zaccardi,
NBC news,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But, yeah, part of [building Carol’s cul-de-sac] was not wanting to subject anyone else to that, [especially] any nice homeowner who would rent you their house.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Oct. 2025
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But no actor, not even the forthright and sensitive Farrell, can survive the number of tight, sweaty closeups that cinematographer James Friend subjects him to.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Pelosi retires and Dems begin generational civil war Nancy Pelosi, 85, announced her retirement yesterday as a new generation of much younger Democrats bridles against the elderly cadre under former President Biden, 82, who led them to defeat in the last presidential election.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
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He and Democrat Rebecca Cooke may be headed for a rematch in 2026, after Van Orden defeated Cooke in 2024.—
Molly Beck,
jsonline.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Subjugate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subjugate. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
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