subservient

[ suhb-sur-vee-uhnt ]

adjective

1. serving or acting in a subordinate capacity; subordinate.
2. excessively submissive; servile; obsequious:

   subservient persons;

   subservient conduct.

3. useful in promoting a purpose or end.

subservient

/ səbˈsɜːvɪənt /

adjective

1. obsequious in behaviour or attitude
2. serving as a means to an end
3. a less common word for subordinate

Derived Forms

• subˈserviently, adverb
• subˈservience, noun

Other Words From

• sub·ser·vi·ence [s, uh, b-, sur, -vee-, uh, ns], sub·ser·vi·en·cy [s, uh, b-, sur, -vee-, uh, n-see], noun
• sub·ser·vi·ent·ly adverb
• un·sub·ser·vi·ent adjective
• un·sub·ser·vi·ent·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of subservient¹

First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin subservient- (stem of subserviēns, present participle of subservīre “to serve as a subordinate”; subserve ), equivalent to sub- prefix meaning “under, below, beneath, etc.” + servi-, stem of servīre “to serve” + -ent noun and adjective suffix; sub-, serve, -ent

Word History and Origins

Origin of subservient¹

C17: from Latin subserviēns complying with, from subservīre to subserve

Example Sentences

He calls for reforms that make finance subservient to industry and for the redistribution of wealth.

From The Daily Beast

After World War II, there was a long phase in which central banks were subservient to governments.

From The Daily Beast

You posit that talking about the aesthetics of scent in traditional aesthetic terms makes scent subservient to other disciplines.

From The Daily Beast

The age-old role of women being sexually subservient and men the sexual masters had effectively ended.

From The Daily Beast

He then called on conservative women “to let them know that we are not going to have our men become subservient.”

From The Daily Beast

This didn't seem like the old, subservient Jim she was familiar with and she disliked his plainness of speech.

From Project Gutenberg

Since the Croen were few, they began to recruit from among the Zervs and other groups who were subservient to the Schrees.

From Project Gutenberg

He formed a design for making these lands more subservient to the purpose of emigration than they had hitherto been.

From Project Gutenberg

In the old time the kings aspired to be the head of the Spanish Church, and were none too subservient to the Pope.

From Project Gutenberg

Bute and his master thought they had secured a useful tool, a subservient and hard-working drudge.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• deferential
• submissive