as in underlings
one who is of lower rank and typically under the authority of another
subordinates do most of the actual creation of the famous designer's clothing designs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in subjects
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of subordinates
Dan Pompei, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Many politicians should, but won’t, learn worthwhile lessons about the value of public deference and praise of subordinates who work every day on the front lines.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Yoon and many subordinates face prosecution Within days, law enforcement started investigating Yoon on charges of insurrection.
—NPR, 3 Dec. 2025
The admonitions of the first generation of revolutionaries carried the weight of superiors addressing subordinates.
—Deng Yuwen, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2025
Then Ron strides across the stage and sits down on an office chair that collapses into pieces underneath, leaving him sprawled on his back, dazed, and humiliated before his bosses and subordinates.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 12 Nov. 2025
For food service establishments like KFC, this means people who devote more than 40% of their time during the work week performing the same work as their subordinates.
—Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 3 Nov. 2025
The Charges The obstruction charge centers on allegations that Comey directed subordinates to remove or conceal those memos from FBI systems after his dismissal in May 2017, actions prosecutors claim impeded a lawful investigation into the unauthorized disclosure of classified material.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
The move came eight months after the controversial resignation of former AD Pat Hobbs, who had been under an internal investigation over an inappropriate relationship with gymnastics coach Umme Salim-Beasley, one of his subordinates.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Thomas Moynihan, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
Gael García Bernal brilliantly subordinates his stardom to Diaz’s discerning camera, disappearing into the role of the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who, at the start of the 16th century, navigated a crew to Southeast Asia after convincing the Spanish crown to fund his journey.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
Noun
Quarterbacks who have attained a certain status understandably don’t want to start over as subordinates, be assigned grunt work and wait in line for promotions.
—Dan Pompei, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Many politicians should, but won’t, learn worthwhile lessons about the value of public deference and praise of subordinates who work every day on the front lines.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Yoon and many subordinates face prosecution Within days, law enforcement started investigating Yoon on charges of insurrection.
—NPR, 3 Dec. 2025
The admonitions of the first generation of revolutionaries carried the weight of superiors addressing subordinates.
—Deng Yuwen, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2025
Then Ron strides across the stage and sits down on an office chair that collapses into pieces underneath, leaving him sprawled on his back, dazed, and humiliated before his bosses and subordinates.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 12 Nov. 2025
For food service establishments like KFC, this means people who devote more than 40% of their time during the work week performing the same work as their subordinates.
—Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 3 Nov. 2025
The Charges The obstruction charge centers on allegations that Comey directed subordinates to remove or conceal those memos from FBI systems after his dismissal in May 2017, actions prosecutors claim impeded a lawful investigation into the unauthorized disclosure of classified material.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
The move came eight months after the controversial resignation of former AD Pat Hobbs, who had been under an internal investigation over an inappropriate relationship with gymnastics coach Umme Salim-Beasley, one of his subordinates.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
Disturbing contemporary audiences, the resulting superintelligence subordinates all human individuals — absorbing them as mere neurons in its global cortex.
—Thomas Moynihan, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
Gael García Bernal brilliantly subordinates his stardom to Diaz’s discerning camera, disappearing into the role of the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who, at the start of the 16th century, navigated a crew to Southeast Asia after convincing the Spanish crown to fund his journey.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subordinates
Noun
-
That film spawned irrationally confident underlings.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
-
What began as a humorous meme page capturing the daily struggle of entertainment underlings evolved into a multi-platform media company and educational ecosystem.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Maximum deceleration subjects New Shepard crews to about five times the normal pull of gravity.—
William Harwood,
CBS News,
20 Dec. 2025
-
The Miami Beach ordinance subjects people — mostly those who are homeless — to arrest for sleeping outside.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
7 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
His latest lesson was giving the finger to a worker at a Michigan auto plant who yelled at him for his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein controversy, thereby giving license to his minions to do the same in any conflict or disagreement.—
Bob Kustra,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Jan. 2026
-
In truth, Musk and his DOGE minions mined Social Security data possibly for private purposes, while working to undermine confidence in the program.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Of course, the whole shebang was greatly enhanced by the venue itself, which delivered its mind-blowing mix of colorful, moving visuals across and around its unbelievable vivid and clear 16K resolution wraparound LED screen that dominates the interior of this 366-foot-fall building.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Moreover, mean-reversion, not momentum, dominates fund returns over longer periods.—
Peter Cohan,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Also newly attached to Write to Kill are Simon Newton and Mike Wood, who will play henchmen.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
4 Dec. 2025
-
Kyle’s wife, Tracy, suddenly leaves Kingstown for her sister’s home in Ohio this week, urged by Kyle and Mike to get herself and her baby as far away from Merle’s henchmen as possible.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
23 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The winner of a duel conquers his opponent’s square, gaining more ground – the loser leaves the game.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
13 Oct. 2025
-
For Nawaf Abdulhadi, joy comes when the choir conquers a difficult phrase in perfect unison.—
Billboard Arabia,
Billboard,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Royd subdues and binds her before taking off to restore the power.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
13 Nov. 2025
-
For those who are more into curves than angles, the Bialetti Moon takes all the functional elements of the moka stovetop espresso maker and subdues them with a rounded stainless steel silhouette.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Cosme cousins are the lone seniors for Marist, which has 10 juniors on the roster.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
-
The show spans multiple categories, including music, dance, variety, comedy, magic, and juniors.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subordinates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subordinates. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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