subdue
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to conquer and bring into subjection.
Rome subdued Gaul.
-
to overpower by superior force; overcome.
-
to bring under mental or emotional control, as by persuasion or intimidation; render submissive.
- Synonyms:
- suppress, discipline, break, tame
-
to repress (feelings, impulses, etc.).
- Synonyms:
- suppress
-
to bring (land) under cultivation.
to subdue the wilderness.
-
to reduce the intensity, force, or vividness of (sound, light, color, etc.); tone down; soften.
- Antonyms:
- intensify
-
to allay (inflammation, infection, etc.).
verb
-
to establish ascendancy over by force
-
to overcome and bring under control, as by intimidation or persuasion
-
to hold in check or repress (feelings, emotions, etc)
-
to render less intense or less conspicuous
Related Words
See defeat.
Other Word Forms
- presubdue verb (used with object)
- subduable adjective
- subduableness noun
- subduably adverb
- subdual noun
- subduer noun
- subduingly adverb
- unsubduable adjective
Etymology
Origin of subdue
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English so(b)duen, so(b)dewen, from unattested Anglo-French soduer “to overcome,” from Old French soduire “to deceive, seduce,” from Latin subdūcere “to withdraw”; meaning in English (and Anglo-French ) from Latin subdere “to place beneath, subdue”; subduct
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.
Given subdued auto and EV sales in China in January and February, Nomura expects BYD may see more evident business improvement starting in the second quarter.
One comic gimmick involves Appa’s superhuman grip that can subdue even the mightiest of men.
From Los Angeles Times
Strong sales during Black Friday week at the end of November led to subdued demand in December, while the timing of Lunar New Year also dented demand.
Xiaomi reported a slump in quarterly net profit, caught between soaring memory-chip prices and subdued consumption in one of the world’s largest consumer markets.
The energy shock from the conflict is expected to hit U.K. economic growth, which was already subdued before the attacks.
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.
