1
as in subordinate
very willing to obey someone else
She was an equal partner in the marriage and not a subservient wife.
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2
as in secondary
having a less important role, job, or place as something else
The employees used to build things by hand but now were subservient to automated equipment that handled much of production.
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Recent Examples of subservient
Created by Alex Horne, who plays the subservient assistant in the episodes, the show has a unique talent for mining comedy from complete mundanity and inanity, and somehow gets more creative with each passing season.
—
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
Some criticized the image for promoting a regressive characterization of a subservient woman.
—Paula Mejía, The Atlantic, 19 Oct. 2025
Their days are fully structured so they are used to being subservient.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
In addition, the portrayal of the cultural setup between the dominant Alba and subservient Colorata is handled in a refreshingly non-preachy manner.
—Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subservient
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
Some criticized the image for promoting a regressive characterization of a subservient woman.
—Paula Mejía, The Atlantic, 19 Oct. 2025
Their days are fully structured so they are used to being subservient.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
In addition, the portrayal of the cultural setup between the dominant Alba and subservient Colorata is handled in a refreshingly non-preachy manner.
—Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subservient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subservient
Adjective
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The inspector general's investigation found that Reece and Ruff — who were supervisor and subordinate — did not disclose their romantic relationship, which is a violation of a city executive order.—
Nushrat Rahman,
Freep.com,
6 Jan. 2026
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Santa’s elves are subordinate Clauses.—
Richard Lederer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Tickets on the secondary market as of Thursday night ranged from $357 to more than $25,000.—
Victor Jacobo,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
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Now, buyers are after two primary bedrooms and one secondary.—
Lew Sichelman,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The generals reduced even their limited need for an obedient prime minister.—
Mohammed Hanif,
Time,
1 Dec. 2025
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Since Francoism promoted an image of women as obedient wives and self-sacrificing mothers devoted to the Catholic family model, Republican women were demonized as immoral, dangerous and unworthy of motherhood.—
Zaya Rustamova,
The Conversation,
19 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Other times, the passive partner is employed but does almost no parenting or caring for the home.—
Oona Metz,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
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From start to finish, the Red Sox deployed a careless, thoughtless, and passive stratagem.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subservient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subservient. Accessed 24 Jan. 2026.
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