subject

[ noun, adjective suhb-jikt; verb suhb-jekt ]

/ noun, adjective ˈsʌb dʒɪkt; verb səbˈdʒɛkt /

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See synonyms for: subject / subjected / subjecting / subjects on Thesaurus.com

noun

that which forms a basic matter of thought, discussion, investigation, etc.: a subject of conversation.

a branch of knowledge as a course of study: He studied four subjects in his first year at college.

a motive, cause, or ground: a subject for complaint.

the theme of a sermon, book, story, etc.

the principal melodic motif or phrase in a musical composition, especially in a fugue.

an object, scene, incident, etc., chosen by an artist for representation, or as represented in art.

a person who is under the dominion or rule of a sovereign.

a person who owes allegiance to a government and lives under its protection: four subjects of Sweden.

Grammar. (in English and many other languages) a syntactic unit that functions as one of the two main constituents of a simple sentence, the other being the predicate, and that consists of a noun, noun phrase, or noun substitute which often refers to the one performing the action or being in the state expressed by the predicate, as He in He gave notice.

a person or thing that undergoes or may undergo some action: As a dissenter, he found himself the subject of the group's animosity.

a person or thing under the control or influence of another.

a person as an object of medical, surgical, or psychological treatment or experiment.

a cadaver used for dissection.

Logic. that term of a proposition concerning which the predicate is affirmed or denied.

Philosophy.

that which thinks, feels, perceives, intends, etc., as contrasted with the objects of thought, feeling, etc.
the self or ego.

Metaphysics. that in which qualities or attributes inhere; substance.

adjective

being under domination, control, or influence (often followed by to).

being under dominion, rule, or authority, as of a sovereign, state, or some governing power; owing allegiance or obedience (often followed byto).

open or exposed (usually followed by to): subject to ridicule.

being dependent or conditional upon something (usually followed by to): His consent is subject to your approval.

being under the necessity of undergoing something (usually followed by to): All beings are subject to death.

liable; prone (usually followed by to): subject to headaches.

verb (used with object)

to bring under domination, control, or influence (usually followed by to).

to bring under dominion, rule, or authority, as of a conqueror or a governing power (usually followed by to).

to cause to undergo the action of something specified; expose (usually followed by to): to subject metal to intense heat.

to make liable or vulnerable; lay open; expose (usually followed by to): to subject oneself to ridicule.

Obsolete. to place beneath something; make subjacent.

OTHER WORDS FOR subject

3 reason, rationale.

17 subordinate, subservient.

20 contingent.

See synonyms for subject on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of subject

First recorded in 1275–1325; (adjective) from Latin subjectus “placed beneath, inferior, open to inspection,” originally the past participle of subicere “to throw or place beneath, make subject,” equivalent to sub-sub- + -jec-, combining form of jacere “to throw” + -tus past participle suffix; replacing Middle English suget, from Old French, from Latin, as above; (noun) from Late Latin subjectum “grammatical or dialectical subject,” noun use of neuter of subjectus; replacing Middle English suget, as above; (verb) from Latin subjectāre, frequentative of subicere; replacing Middle English suget(t)en, from Old French sugetter, from Latin, as above

synonym study for subject

1, 4. Subject, theme, topic are often interchangeable to express the material being considered in a speech or written composition. Subject is a broad word for whatever is treated in writing, speech, art, etc.: the subject for discussion. Theme and topic are usually narrower and apply to some limited or specific part of a general subject. A theme is often the underlying conception of a discourse or composition, perhaps not put into words but easily recognizable: The theme of a need for reform runs throughout her work. A topic is the statement of what is to be treated in a section of a composition: The topic is treated fully in this section.

OTHER WORDS FROM subject

sub·ject·a·ble, adjectivesub·ject·a·bil·i·ty

[suhb-jek-tuh-bil-i-tee], /səbˌdʒɛk təˈbɪl ɪ ti/, nounsub·ject·less, adjectivesub·ject·like, adjective

non·sub·ject, noun, adjectivepre·sub·ject, verb (used with object)re·sub·ject, verb (used with object)un·sub·ject, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use subject in a sentence

To put it rather uncharitably, the USPHS practiced a major dental experiment on a city full of unconsenting subjects.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
They wrote about subjects that they knew intimately, or that troubled or fascinated them, which is what all novelists do.
The 2014 Novel of the Year|Nathaniel Rich|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Klaus espouses inflammatory views on a variety of subjects, some of which Cato happily embraced.
Vaclav Klaus, Libertarian Hero, Has His Wings Clipped by Cato Institute|James Kirchick|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Poolaw spent most of his life (1906—84) documenting Indian subjects.
The Best Coffee Table Books of 2014|Robert Birnbaum|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But records uncovered by the Senate Intelligence Committee suggest there may have been more than three subjects.
The Most Gruesome Moments in the CIA ‘Torture Report’|Shane Harris, Tim Mak|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mrs. Woodbury paints in oils and water-colors; the latter are genre scenes, and among them are several Dutch subjects.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement
All the ordinary subjects in schools have been taught over and over again millions and millions of times.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
She apparently prefers to paint single figures of women and young girls, but her works include a variety of subjects.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement
Christopher Bennet died; a distinguished London physician, and writer on medical subjects.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Flowers, fruits, and insects were her favorite subjects, and were painted with rare delicacy.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement

British Dictionary definitions for subject

subject

noun (ˈsʌbdʒɪkt)

the predominant theme or topic, as of a book, discussion, etc
(in combination)subject-heading

any branch of learning considered as a course of study

grammar logic a word, phrase, or formal expression about which something is predicated or stated in a sentence; for example, the cat in the sentence The cat catches mice

a person or thing that undergoes experiment, analysis, treatment, etc

a person who lives under the rule of a monarch, government, etc

an object, figure, scene, etc, as selected by an artist or photographer for representation

philosophy

that which thinks or feels as opposed to the object of thinking and feeling; the self or the mind
a substance as opposed to its attributes

Also called: theme music a melodic or thematic phrase used as the principal motif of a fugue, the basis from which the musical material is derived in a sonata-form movement, or the recurrent figure in a rondo

logic

the term of a categorial statement of which something is predicated
the reference or denotation of the subject term of a statement. The subject of John is tall is not the name John, but John himself

an originating motive

change the subject to select a new topic of conversation

adjective (ˈsʌbdʒɪkt) (usually postpositive and foll by to)

being under the power or sovereignty of a ruler, government, etcsubject peoples

showing a tendency (towards)a child subject to indiscipline

exposed or vulnerablesubject to ribaldry

conditional uponthe results are subject to correction

adverb

subject to (preposition) under the condition thatwe accept, subject to her agreement

verb (səbˈdʒɛkt) (tr)

(foll by to) to cause to undergo the application (of)they subjected him to torture

(often passive foll by to) to expose or render vulnerable or liable (to some experience)he was subjected to great danger

(foll by to) to bring under the control or authority (of)to subject a soldier to discipline

rare to subdue or subjugate

rare to present for consideration; submit

obsolete to place below

Abbreviation: subj

Derived forms of subject

subjectable, adjectivesubjectability, nounsubjectless, adjectivesubject-like, adjective

Word Origin for subject

C14: from Latin subjectus brought under, from subicere to place under, from sub- + jacere to throw

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for subject

subject

A part of every sentence. The subject tells what the sentence is about; it contains the main noun or noun phrase: “The car crashed into the railing”; “Judy and two of her friends were elected to the National Honor Society.” In some cases the subject is implied: you is the implied subject in “Get me some orange juice.” (Compare predicate.)

Other Idioms and Phrases with subject

subject

In addition to the idiom beginning with subject

subject to, be

also see:

change the subject

subject

OTHER WORDS FOR subject

Origin of subject

synonym study for subject

OTHER WORDS FROM subject

Words related to subject

How to use subject in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for subject

Derived forms of subject

Word Origin for subject

Cultural definitions for subject

Other Idioms and Phrases with subject