as in subjected
to bring under one's control by force of arms
it is one of the lessons of history that more powerful civilizations often subordinate weaker ones
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Recent Examples of subordinated
Craftsmanship was stripped away, and the pace of labor was subordinated to the line itself.
—
Christopher Marquis, Time, 30 May 2026
Early gas-station signs were smaller than today’s, and still subordinated to the oil-company name and image.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 11 Apr. 2026
The brilliance of her artwork is many times subordinated to her biography.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The past two generations of health care have been about gradual socialization of medicine, which has subordinated both patients and doctors to faceless bureaucrats and insurers.
—Kim-Lien Nguyen, Boston Herald, 29 Nov. 2025
However, the deeds that were supposed to to secure the loans were ultimately subordinated without CB&T’s knowledge, Zions said in the lawsuit.
—Leslie Picker, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2025
This is not to defend Cook, but rather to illustrate the parallelism and hypocrisy of the rule of law being subordinated to the law of the ruler.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2025
Anyone who diverges from progressive orthodoxy is excluded from faculty ranks, free inquiry is subordinated to activism, and taxpayer funds flow into administrative bureaucracies that enforce political correctness.
—Ilya Shapiro, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025
This is a major change for a Republican Party that used to believe that character and behavior mattered and couldn’t be subordinated or overlooked.
—Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 4 Aug. 2025
Christopher Marquis, Time, 30 May 2026
Early gas-station signs were smaller than today’s, and still subordinated to the oil-company name and image.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 11 Apr. 2026
The brilliance of her artwork is many times subordinated to her biography.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The past two generations of health care have been about gradual socialization of medicine, which has subordinated both patients and doctors to faceless bureaucrats and insurers.
—Kim-Lien Nguyen, Boston Herald, 29 Nov. 2025
However, the deeds that were supposed to to secure the loans were ultimately subordinated without CB&T’s knowledge, Zions said in the lawsuit.
—Leslie Picker, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2025
This is not to defend Cook, but rather to illustrate the parallelism and hypocrisy of the rule of law being subordinated to the law of the ruler.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2025
Anyone who diverges from progressive orthodoxy is excluded from faculty ranks, free inquiry is subordinated to activism, and taxpayer funds flow into administrative bureaucracies that enforce political correctness.
—Ilya Shapiro, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025
This is a major change for a Republican Party that used to believe that character and behavior mattered and couldn’t be subordinated or overlooked.
—Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subordinated
Verb
-
Burrowes has alleged that Combs subjected him to years of verbal, emotional and physical abuse during their time running the company together.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
9 Dec. 2025
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Your government has recently subjected large-scale foreign investment proposals to fresh scrutiny.—
Danish Manzoor Bhat,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Paula Grant and Saint & Citizen are building a blueprint for intentional cultural programming in a week dominated by hype and hierarchy.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
11 Dec. 2025
-
The Bills have dominated the AFC East so far this decade, but the New England Patriots are back on the prowl, and the two rivals will face off in New England this weekend.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Multiple hurdles had to be conquered to make the groundbreaking ride — which finally opens this summer.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
-
Nicholas Galitzine plays He-Man, aka Prince Adam of Eternia, who, as an adolescent, was sent to Earth after his kingdom was conquered by Skeletor, played by Jared Leto as a purring diva.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Despite the scale of the tournament, investor expectations have been relatively subdued due to the macro backdrop, geopolitical uncertainty and growing concerns about the dwindling consumer demand, JPMorgan strategists wrote.—
Deena Zaidi,
CNBC,
14 June 2026
-
Seleção supporters expected the flowing, entertaining play of Pelé’s era and were subdued before Vinícius evened the score with his spectacular angled effort.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
New York City exploded with joy on Saturday night, with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets after the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA finals.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
15 June 2026
-
Diego Lopes just defeated Steve Garcia after a brutal back-and-forth slugfest in the second round of their UFC fight.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subordinated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subordinated. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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