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
Lynch is in a subservient power-sharing arrangement with coach Kyle Shanahan.
—
Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 12 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for subservient
Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 12 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for subservient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subservient
Adjective
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There can never again be a DED, even if Sherrill promises that Roehrenbeck will be subordinate to Garcia.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
26 Jan. 2026
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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
Adjective
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And while sports will be a secondary concern to those in the Middle East this week, the conflict has triggered fresh doubts over Iran’s participation in the competition, with the country involved in escalating violence following strikes by the United States and Israel.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
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Based on the 1928 original, the watch features a solid gold dial with an aperture that displays jumping hours at 12 o’clock and a secondary aperture that shows dragging minutes.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Tariffs could be 'hard sell' in election year How obedient will the congressional GOP be to Trump in an election year?—
Justin Papp,
CNBC,
23 Feb. 2026
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The audience would do well to stay attuned to this goal — and how obedient Nat is willing to be.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The submarine attempts to sneakily move in close to its target undetected using passive sonar, and attack up close where the target has less chance of evading.—
James Dwyer,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
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But running through even two or three of them shifts you from passive label reader to active evaluator.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subservient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subservient. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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