subdued
Americanadjective
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quiet; inhibited; repressed; controlled.
After the argument he was much more subdued.
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lowered in intensity or strength; reduced in fullness of tone, as a color or voice; muted.
subdued light; wallpaper in subdued greens.
-
(of land) not marked by any striking features, as mountains or cliffs.
a subdued landscape.
adjective
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cowed, passive, or shy
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gentle or quiet
a subdued whisper
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(of colours, etc) not harsh or bright
subdued lighting
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of subdued
Explanation
The adjective subdued refers to something, like a sound, that has a lowered intensity. Your loud conversation with a friend in the back of the classroom is likely to become subdued when the teacher passes out the exams. The word subdued is related to the Latin word, subdere, which means "to subtract from." Something that is subdued has lost some of its strength or intensity. Subdued lighting might create a romantic mood at a restaurant. And a subdued child is one who is no longer having a fit. A subdued economy is probably pretty sluggish.
Vocabulary lists containing subdued
"The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 6
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Monster
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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.
Netanyahu told Fox News on Thursday that, after being subdued, the attacker called out to the crew, "Kill me, kill me!"
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
"With... immigrant labor losing their status to work in the US, that restriction in labor supply is causing subdued labor growth now for health care," said Ken Kim, senior economist at KPMG.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
OTTAWA—Canada’s economy looks to have perked up again after stalling in July, setting the country up for more subdued growth as tariffs ramp up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Lower Norwegian pipeline flows due to maintenance and subdued LNG traffic through Hormuz continue to tighten the market, ANZ analysts said, while recovering Chinese LNG imports could increase competition for cargoes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
His voice had been quiet, subdued, and I wondered if he had been reading any more books on Hasidism.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
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.
