subjection
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
- nonsubjection noun
- presubjection noun
- resubjection noun
- self-subjection noun
- subjectional adjective
Etymology
Origin of subjection
1300–50; Middle English < Latin subjectiōn- (stem of subjectiō ) a throwing under, equivalent to subject- ( 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.
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
As the Supreme Court has recognized, the First Amendment demands that “the price of lawful public dissent must not be a dread of subjection to an unchecked surveillance power.”
From Slate • Feb. 11, 2021
Lydia Maria Child, an abolitionist and feminist, observed, “The comparison between women and the colored race is striking . . . both have been kept in subjection by physical force.”
From Textbooks • Dec. 30, 2014
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.
