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
Instead, Trump made sure that incentives for these renewable technologies were wound down in the ultra-MAGA budget bill that the subservient Congress recently sent to him and is hell-bent on clearing the path for oil and gas and coal to dominate.
—
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 31 July 2025
Remember Hurricane Andrew? Ira Gross, Boca Raton What absolute power does
A subservient Florida Legislature let DeSantis spend taxpayer money on his political whims, while awarding huge no-bid contracts to his political friends.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 18 July 2025
It will not be subservient to the prime minister—or to any one person.
—Hartosh Singh Bal, Foreign Affairs, 30 June 2025
Latinas of all backgrounds have endured being typecast as a slutty Maria or subservient Lupe.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for subservient
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 31 July 2025
Remember Hurricane Andrew? Ira Gross, Boca Raton What absolute power does
A subservient Florida Legislature let DeSantis spend taxpayer money on his political whims, while awarding huge no-bid contracts to his political friends.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 18 July 2025
It will not be subservient to the prime minister—or to any one person.
—Hartosh Singh Bal, Foreign Affairs, 30 June 2025
Latinas of all backgrounds have endured being typecast as a slutty Maria or subservient Lupe.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for subservient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subservient
Adjective
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The Moldovan Orthodox Church, which is subordinate to Moscow, has also echoed Kremlin talking points, warning congregants that EU membership would destroy traditions and family values.—
Dan Perry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
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Timing is another significant consideration in real estate, with the property’s actual structure being a somewhat subordinate factor.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In an effort to tamp down that expense, Clary agreed in December 2022 to allow Bush to retain and exceed the maximum, then totaling 332 hours, with a secondary agreement that Bush would use the vacation time over the next couple of years.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
1 Oct. 2025
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The idea, Fuentes-Medel said, is to identify the materials, perhaps through a kind of AI data modeling, and figure out how they can best be recovered and funneled to secondary markets at scale.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Tyrell Corporation, a powerful company that created the replicants and profits from sending them to work on distant colonies, sees them as nothing more than obedient workers.—
Claire A. Simmers,
The Conversation,
25 Sep. 2025
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The pawrent, who uses the social media tag @dollythesassysausage, shared the unconventional tactic of tying the lead of their sausage dog, Dolly, to their sibling's dog—an obedient cocker spaniel called Cooper.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Hughes and others began resisting orders in passive ways, showing up late or taking patrols extra slowly.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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Their bigger struggle in 2024-25 was open-play creativity, with too many passive moves against low blocks that did not result in quality opportunities.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Subservient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subservient. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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