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
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
White Out possesses the quest element that propels many a recovery memoir—except that in Clune’s case, the quest for sobriety is until the end consistently subordinated to the quest to score more drugs.
—Scott Stossel, The Atlantic, 9 Sep. 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
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
White Out possesses the quest element that propels many a recovery memoir—except that in Clune’s case, the quest for sobriety is until the end consistently subordinated to the quest to score more drugs.
—Scott Stossel, The Atlantic, 9 Sep. 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
-
The Department of Justice and the Treasury subjected the question of whether the change could be made without congressional action to their gimlet-eyed scrutiny, and turned thumbs-down.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Olivera also alleged that Mustafa subjected her to ongoing harassment through social media, emphasizing that the situation left her concerned for her safety and her child’s well-being.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Big Ten's run marks the second straight year that the two most cash-flush conferences have dominated the tournament.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
But Duke’s marquee stars dominated down the stretch, dealing the Red Storm an 80-75 defeat at Capital One Arena.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Japanese conquered the Philippines, Guam, Wake Island.—
Gil Troy,
New York Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
By the 1770s, Linnaeus had pretty much conquered Europe—all, that is, except for the King’s Garden in Paris, where Georges Buffon, the garden’s director, adamantly rejected his system as arbitrary and artificial.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Backed by his wife’s wealthy family, Coronado hoped to amass a fortune equal to that of Hernan Cortez, who had brutally subdued the Aztecs.—
Sandra Dallas,
Denver Post,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Francesca is one of the Bridgerton siblings, whose story up until this point has been more subdued.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The women carried their burden with grace and defeated Notre Dame.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Adam Sykora broke a scoreless tie early in the third period and Igor Shesterkin made 27 saves and the New York Rangers defeated the Florida Panthers 3-1 on Sunday.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subordinated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subordinated. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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