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
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
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
-
Homeland Security officials even subjected him to a polygraph test, accusing him and other officials of leaking details of a private meeting.—
Gabriela Aoun Angueira,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
-
Kevin Hart subjected himself to one of comedy’s most hallowed and excruciating traditions last night, the roast.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Public safety dominated the exchange, with sharp disagreements over crime trends, law enforcement authority and the role sheriffs should play in statewide policy.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
-
Seattle dominated in its 29-13 victory that earned the Seahawks their second Lombardi Trophy.—
Saad Yousuf,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Here was a man who had conquered eight halls of fame, had traveled the world many times over, and nothing compared to his home.—
Gillian Telling,
PEOPLE,
19 May 2026
-
His father conquered mass culture.—
Noel Burgess,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Aside from the occasional siren and the presence of television crews along the sidewalk, the atmosphere was subdued and traffic around the hospital continued to move steadily.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
-
The thin layer of this paint looked nice and subdued under this dark spot on our porch.—
Tessa Cooper,
Southern Living,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
McGregor first fought at welterweight in 2016 in a shocking loss to Diaz, then defeated Diaz later that year, again in the 170-pound division.—
Mark Puleo,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
True North Classical Academy defeated SLAM (Tampa) in five sets in the 1A state final.—
Alex Kushel,
Sun Sentinel,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subordinated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subordinated. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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