subdominant

[ suhb-dom-uh-nuhnt ]

/ sʌbˈdɒm ə nənt /

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noun

Music. the fourth tone of a diatonic scale, next below the dominant.

adjective

less than or not quite dominant.

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Origin of subdominant

First recorded in 1785–95; sub- + dominant

Words nearby subdominant

subdiaconal, subdiaconate, subdistrict, subdivide, subdivision, subdominant, subdual, subduct, subduction, subduction zone, subdue

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use subdominant in a sentence

In the wild, killer whales vie for dominance but the subdominant animal then flees the scene and the conflict subsides.
‘Blackfish’ Director: Killer Whales Don’t Belong in Captivity|Gabriela Cowperthwaite|October 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The third movement consists of a fine Adagio in E flat, in the key of the subdominant and in three-four time.
The Pianoforte Sonata|J.S. Shedlock
At the seventh bar there is modulation to the dominant, and at the ninth, to the subdominant, in which the opening theme recurs.
The Pianoforte Sonata|J.S. Shedlock
The next sonata, No. 10 , has three movements, all in the same key; the Trio of the Minuet is in the key of the subdominant.
The Pianoforte Sonata|J.S. Shedlock

When the principal theme returns, it is clothed first with subdominant, then with tonic minor harmony.
The Pianoforte Sonata|J.S. Shedlock
The cadence formed when a subdominant chord immediately precedes the final tonic chord.
The Browning Cyclopdia|Edward Berdoe

British Dictionary definitions for subdominant

subdominant

/ (sʌbˈdɒmɪnənt) music /

noun

the fourth degree of a major or minor scale

a key or chord based on this

adjective

of or relating to the subdominant

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012