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
-
cowed, passive, or shy
-
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.
Subdued sales activity was weighed by a nine-day Lunar New Year holiday and cooling consumer demand.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
“U.S. is Subdued Again by Davy,” Life, April 25, 1955.
From Slate • Aug. 31, 2023
Luce, 50, is a luthier who helps organize the Subdued Stringband Jamboree held in August at the Deming Logging Show grounds.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 16, 2023
"Subdued global economic conditions continued to hold back customer demand across the Japanese manufacturing sector," said Tim Moore, economics director at S&P Global Market Intelligence, which compiles the survey.
From Reuters • Feb. 1, 2023
Subdued laughter filled the room for a few seconds.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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.
