subdominant

[ suhb-dom-uh-nuh nt ]

/ sʌbˈdɒm ə nənt /

noun

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

adjective

less than or not quite dominant.

Nearby words

Origin of subdominant

First recorded in 1785–95; sub- + dominant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for subdominant

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 genus Mele affords an instance of a subdominant group of the first description.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. IV (of 4)|William Kirby
The cadence formed when a subdominant chord immediately precedes the final tonic chord.
The Browning Cyclopdia|Edward Berdoe
There were no fourths; the dominant and the subdominant were absent.
A Bed of Roses|W. L. George

We may take Scolia for an example of a subdominant group beginning more southward.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. IV (of 4)|William Kirby
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

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