subdominant
[suhb-dom-uh-nuh nt]
- Music. the fourth tone of a diatonic scale, next below the dominant.
Show More
- less than or not quite dominant.
Show More
Origin of subdominant
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for subdominant
Contemporary Examples
In the wild, killer whales vie for dominance but the subdominant animal then flees the scene and the conflict subsides.
Historical Examples
There were no fourths; the dominant and the subdominant were absent.
A Bed of RosesW. L. George
At that point the suggested supporting harmony is an augmented triad upon the tonic leading into the subdominant.
The TinguianFay-Cooper Cole
The main theme at its third appearance is in the subdominant key, with effective rhythmic modifications.
Music: An Art and a LanguageWalter Raymond Spalding
The genus Mele affords an instance of a subdominant group of the first description.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. IV (of 4)William Kirby
We may take Scolia for an example of a subdominant group beginning more southward.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. IV (of 4)William Kirby
subdominant
- the fourth degree of a major or minor scale
- a key or chord based on this
Show More
- of or relating to the subdominant
Show More
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