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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of subordinated
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
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
-
Perpetrators used deception to move them across country borders and subjected them to harm under the pretense of employment.—
Mónica Ramírez,
Time,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Francis, for his part, subjected the Church’s right wing to closer scrutiny by the Vatican.—
Paul Elie,
New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Green Bay dominated Chicago for years.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
-
The junior guard scored 20 points — including a couple of highlight-reel dunks — as host West Aurora dominated crosstown rival East Aurora during an 80-52 Upstate Eight West victory.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But the systems that conquered chess and Go were purpose-built for those specific games, unlike general-purpose systems like Gemini, Claude, and ChatGPT.—
Tharin Pillay,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine has subdued the most contagious virus on earth.—
Jerome Adams,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Nazism’s total domination politically and socially found an aesthetic counterpart in the visual reduction of bodies to things, ecstatically subdued before the hypnotic power of a leader, force, or sublime beauty.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Houston Texans defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6 in the final game of the wild card round of the playoffs on Monday in what might be the end of the Aaron Rodgers era in the NFL.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN Money,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The Panthers were defeated by the Los Angeles Rams, 34-31, on Saturday in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs.—
Mike Kaye
January 13,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subordinated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subordinated. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
