subordinate
Americanadjective
-
placed in or belonging to a lower order or rank.
-
of less importance; secondary.
- Synonyms:
- ancillary
-
subject to or under the authority of a superior.
-
subservient or inferior.
-
Grammar.
-
acting as a modifier, as when I finished, which is subordinate to They were glad in They were glad when I finished.
-
noting or pertaining to a subordinating conjunction.
-
-
Obsolete. submissive.
noun
-
subordinates
plural
verb (used with object)
-
subordinates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
subordinated,
past participle, past
-
subordinating
present participle
adjective
-
of lesser order or importance
-
under the authority or control of another
a subordinate functionary
noun
verb
-
to put in a lower rank or position (than)
-
to make subservient
to subordinate mind to heart
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
subordinacynoun
-
subordinatenessnoun
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subordinationnoun
-
presubordinateverb (used with object)
-
nonsubordinateadjective
-
nonsubordinatingadjective
-
self-subordinatingadjective
-
subordinativeadjective
-
unsubordinateadjective
-
unsubordinativeadjective
-
subordinatelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
subordinatesimple
-
subordinatessimple
-
have subordinatedperfect
-
has subordinatedperfect
-
am subordinatingprogressive
-
are subordinatingprogressive
-
is subordinatingprogressive
-
have been subordinatingperfect progressive
-
has been subordinatingperfect progressive
Past
-
subordinatedsimple
-
had subordinatedperfect
-
was subordinatingprogressive
-
were subordinatingprogressive
-
had been subordinatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of subordinate
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English adjective subordynat, from Medieval Latin subōrdinātus, past participle of subōrdināre “to subordinate,” equivalent to Latin sub- “under, below, beneath” + ōrdin- (stem of ōrdō ) “rank, order” + -ātus past participle suffix; see sub-, -ate 1
Explanation
A subordinate is someone who works for someone else. As a verb, to subordinate means to place or rank one thing below another. When you're doing a group project, sometimes you have to subordinate your ideas to the desires of the larger group. The prefix sub- means "lower" and ordinate refers to an ordering of things. In the army, a private is subordinate to an officer. You can also say the private is a subordinate. When it's an adjective or noun, the word is pronounced "suh-BOR-duh-nit." When it's a verb, it’s pronounced "suh-BOR-duh-nate." Don’t subordinate one pronunciation to the other: they're both equally important.
Vocabulary lists containing subordinate
List 1
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Latin Root "sub" Words
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ASVAB Word Knowledge
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"Nor can the interests of national associations, leagues, clubs, players and supporters become subordinate to investor returns. Football cannot mortgage its future for financial gain," Ceferin said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
On other matters, it can subordinate profit to the mission and stakeholder interests.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
He found the role hugely enjoyable, but strategising and giving commands to subordinate players in real time could be "more stressful than real life".
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
Another cop, whose name was not released by the department, was suspended for 10 days after both failing to disclose a relationship with a subordinate and using a department database for nonwork purposes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026
Our zoo had a clan of six, two dominant females and four subordinate males.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
Wasn’t it true, a juror asked, that he had taken to delegating tasks to subordinates in recent years?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
The November 2024 indictment in New York accused the industrialist and multiple subordinates of deliberately misleading international investors as part of a vast bribery scheme.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
Its Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, which includes Iran, shed scores of career officials last year, many of them replaced by greener subordinates or political appointees.
From Slate ● May 1, 2026
“He’s not caring about whether or not his subordinates kiss his ass all the time,” said Rep. Adam Smith, the senior Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, who has met with Feinberg several times.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
But he cannot escape the dynamic dictated to him by his culture in which subordinates must respect the dictates of their superiors.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
A press release from EFG refers to "approximately 232.6 million euros of subordinated debt".
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
The iTraxx Europe Sub financials index of euro subordinated bonds credit default swaps rises 2 basis points to 101bps, S&P Global Market Intelligence data show.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
In his post on X, he said that "the fight against drugs must be subordinated to the human rights of the Caribbean people".
From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2025
That climate of deference fostered a culture of complicity, where questions of social responsibility were subordinated to uncritical faith in authority.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2025
Consequently, we frequently find senior mathematical, engineering, and scientific people ardently wooed by industry and then subordinated to newly minted M.B.A.s and accountants.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Determined not to quarantine either story, she prefers what she calls the egalitarian “jump cut,” to the subordinating “meanwhile.”
From Slate ● Oct. 21, 2025
“We are going to collaborate .. but without subordinating ourselves,” she wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2024
He prioritized camaraderie with league officials to burnish his résumé, subordinating WSU’s interests.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 11, 2023
Foti did not respond when asked about Gosar's pattern of subordinating congressional rules to his religion.
From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2023
For that matter, many of the words that were traditionally called subordinating conjunctions, like before and after, are actually prepositions.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
