subservient

1
2

Synonym Chooser

How is the word subservient distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of subservient are obsequious, servile, and slavish. While all these words mean "showing or characterized by extreme compliance or abject obedience," subservient implies the cringing manner of one very conscious of a subordinate position.

domestic help was expected to be properly subservient

When could obsequious be used to replace subservient?

In some situations, the words obsequious and subservient are roughly equivalent. However, obsequious implies fawning or sycophantic compliance and exaggerated deference of manner.

waiters who are obsequious in the presence of celebrities

When is it sensible to use servile instead of subservient?

The meanings of servile and subservient largely overlap; however, servile suggests the mean or fawning behavior of a slave.

a political boss and his entourage of servile hangers-on

Where would slavish be a reasonable alternative to subservient?

The words slavish and subservient can be used in similar contexts, but slavish suggests abject or debased servility.

the slavish status of migrant farm workers

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 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 See All Example Sentences for subservient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subservient
Adjective
  • Yasuda ordered his subordinate, Lieutenant Colonel Tatsusaburo Suzuki, to prepare a report on the feasibility of a uranium project in Japan.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Indeed, allowing men but not women to have multiple spouses is clearly unequal and entwined with patriarchal ideology that positions women as subordinate or inferior to men.
    David W. Lawson, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Both teams decided to play on under secondary lighting only before the main lights eventually returned minutes into the contest.
    Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Variances in consumer behavior, how pandemic era spend has evolved and the secondary market boom are all playing a role.
    James Manso, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • There’s a difference, school leaders said, between building the confidence of girls, whom society expects to be obedient and agreeable, and building the confidence of boys, who get different societal messages.
    Melanie Asmar, Denver Post, 5 Oct. 2025
  • 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
Adjective
  • Active news consumers were much more likely to be politically engaged, while passive news consumers were much more likely to be disengaged or moderately engaged in politics.
    Max Tani, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Its bilayer design features an active layer that changes shape and color and a passive layer that provides stiffness and optical transparency.
    Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Subservient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subservient. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on subservient

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!