subjection
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of subjection
1300–50; Middle English < Latin subjectiōn- (stem of subjectiō ) a throwing under, equivalent to subject- ( see subject) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Subjection is when a person, group, or government forces another person — or group of people — to submit or be controlled. A dictator's power lies in his subjection of the people over whom he rules. Many kinds of control can be called subjection, but it most often describes a political rule or the subjugation of a large group of people. Slavery is one terrible, extreme type of subjection, and a king's conquering of a neighboring kingdom is another type. Subjection comes from the Old French subjection, "submission, inferior condition, or captivity," with a Latin root, subjectionem, a putting under."
Vocabulary lists containing subjection
1984
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Novel Study: Antigone, Pages 1–21
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On Liberty
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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.
Ms. Smith touts the untamed imagination as an antidote to the realities of war and subjection.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Thurman prioritizes a more fragile site of subjection: the soul.
From Salon • Feb. 19, 2024
Only when people begin to imagine a full emancipation, do they perceive the full extent of their subjection.
From BBC • Sep. 1, 2023
The Korean people’s opposition to the division of their nation and its subjection to foreign rule was ignored.
From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022
They had tamed the bush, and in return it yielded them their food and their scant living from trap lines and a wood lot, but the struggle to keep it in subjection was endless.
From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford
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.
