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
Murals commissioned by the Section of Fine Arts (especially in the South) tended to shy away from the realities of Black life, and Black people were often shown in subservient roles.
—
Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
Why, Buren asked, should the artist accept this subservient role?
—Daniel Birnbaum, Artforum, 2 Apr. 2026
For Liu, by contrast, the study of the classics seemed almost subservient to a process of cultural empowerment.
—Chang Che, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2026
This plan, during such a critical period, is nothing less than a dereliction of duty and a further sign of how the Congressional majority is content to be subservient to this administration.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subservient
Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
Why, Buren asked, should the artist accept this subservient role?
—Daniel Birnbaum, Artforum, 2 Apr. 2026
For Liu, by contrast, the study of the classics seemed almost subservient to a process of cultural empowerment.
—Chang Che, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2026
This plan, during such a critical period, is nothing less than a dereliction of duty and a further sign of how the Congressional majority is content to be subservient to this administration.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subservient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subservient
Adjective
-
Greater Franco-Chinese coordination in nuclear supply chains, financing, and industrial cooperation reflects a wider European search for alternatives that are neither fully dependent on American hydrocarbons nor entirely subordinate to Chinese manufacturing dominance.—
Wesley Alexander Hill,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
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Three — able seaman William Orren, Boy 1st Class David Young and subordinate officers' steward John Bridgens — had been aboard the HMS Erebus.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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Why read them if my learning will always be seen as inferior and secondary, not just in other people’s eyes but in my own as well?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
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That long history also has tended to depress prices in the secondary market, to account for all the money buyers will be paying their mechanics.—
Erik Shilling,
Robb Report,
25 May 2026
Adjective
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These stories usually involve a woman shucking societal norms of being nice, pretty, and obedient.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
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Just think of all those vacant Madonnas, structurally perfect compositions, and obedient daydreams of antiquity.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Artisan workshop travel is reshaping how curious travelers spend their time abroad — swapping passive sightseeing for hands-on hours at a potter’s wheel, a loom or a perfumer’s bench.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
29 May 2026
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In this process, users were no longer passive observers of the web but active contributors to the web.—
Steve Paulussen,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subservient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subservient. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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