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
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
Moscow may brush off this latest setback, its rigidly subservient state media able to sustain any narrative the Kremlin chooses.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 2 June 2025
Women in the surrealist movement were often relegated to the role of the femme enfant – often young, beautiful women who were expected to be subservient to male artists.
—Mackenzie Farkus, Christian Science Monitor, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for subservient
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
Moscow may brush off this latest setback, its rigidly subservient state media able to sustain any narrative the Kremlin chooses.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 2 June 2025
Women in the surrealist movement were often relegated to the role of the femme enfant – often young, beautiful women who were expected to be subservient to male artists.
—Mackenzie Farkus, Christian Science Monitor, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for subservient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subservient
Adjective
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They were issued by Fina RDC 2020, a certificate authority that’s subordinate to the root certificate holder Fina Root CA.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
3 Sep. 2025
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And subordinate-superior relationships raise the risk of real and perceived favoritism.—
Kim Elsesser,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In the Bentonville School District, about 10% concurrent credit students exceed 25 credit hours, according to Jennifer Morrow, the district's executive director of secondary education.—
Edward McKinnon,
Arkansas Online,
4 Sep. 2025
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The Cowboys still have some talent in the secondary, but up front, this defense looks like a major work in progress without Parsons.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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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
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The Golem was a powerful, obedient protector, performing tasks and defending the ghetto.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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An overhang on the stock Buffett, who’s typically a passive investor, let it be known that his successor Greg Abel had expressed concerns about the breakup deal to Kraft Heinz a week ago, which didn’t make a difference even coming from its largest shareholder.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
7 Sep. 2025
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The headset also has a terrific active and passive noise cancellation ability and is incredibly comfortable.—
Sherrie Nachman,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Subservient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subservient. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
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