subservient
Americanadjective
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serving or acting in a subordinate capacity; subordinate.
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excessively submissive; servile; obsequious.
subservient persons;
subservient conduct.
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useful in promoting a purpose or end.
adjective
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obsequious in behaviour or attitude
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serving as a means to an end
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a less common word for subordinate
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of subservient
First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin subservient- (stem of subserviēns, present participle of subservīre “to serve as a subordinate”; see subserve), equivalent to sub- prefix meaning “under, below, beneath, etc.” + servi-, stem of servīre “to serve” + -ent noun and adjective suffix; see sub-, serve, -ent
Explanation
Subservient means "compliant," "obedient," "submissive," or having the qualities of a servant. Something that's subservient has been made useful, or put into the service of, something else. Our word subservient is unusual because it actually comes from the Latin word of exactly the same spelling and almost the identical meaning — "subjecting to" or "complying with." Usually words change a little in spelling or meaning when they are adopted from another language, but this one did not. Maybe the word subservient seemed so subservient that it could comply with the rules of any language!
Vocabulary lists containing subservient
Power Prefix: sub-
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Brown Girl Dreaming
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100 SAT words Beginning with "S"
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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.
We decline to think like machines or be subservient to machines.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
Sparta needed allies to fill out its battle array, so it installed subservient leaders throughout the Peloponnese, their allies in the war against Athens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
There is evidence that opinion appears to be changing as fans find out what it means to be the perceived subservient partner.
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2026
"Like Musharraf, he has a subservient prime minister and the authority to reshape the army's structure," he said.
From Barron's ● Nov. 14, 2025
She refused to be subservient to Abel at home, but she did want him to succeed as a man.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
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.
