subordinate

American  

[suh-bawr-dn-it, suh-bawr-dn-eyt] / səˈbɔr dn ɪt, səˈbɔr dnˌeɪt /

adjective

1. placed in or belonging to a lower order or rank.

2. of less importance; secondary.

   Synonyms:

   ancillary

   Antonyms:

   primary, superior

3. subject to or under the authority of a superior.

4. subservient or inferior.

5. subject; dependent.

6. Grammar.

   1. acting as a modifier, as when I finished, which is subordinate to They were glad in They were glad when I finished.

   2. noting or pertaining to a subordinating conjunction.

7. Obsolete. submissive.

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noun

1. a subordinate person or thing.

   Synonyms:

   inferior

verb (used with object)

subordinated, subordinating

1. to place in a lower order or rank.

   Synonyms:

   reduce, lower

2. to make secondary (usually followed byto ).

   to subordinate work to pleasure.

3. to make subject, subservient, or dependent (usually followed byto ).

   to subordinate passion to reason.

subordinate British  

adjective

1. of lesser order or importance

2. under the authority or control of another

   a subordinate functionary

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noun

1. a person or thing that is subordinate

verb

1. to put in a lower rank or position (than)

2. to make subservient

   to subordinate mind to heart

Other Word Forms

• nonsubordinate
  adjective
• nonsubordinating
  adjective
• presubordinate
  verb (used with object)
• self-subordinating
  adjective
• subordinacy
  noun
• subordinately
  adverb
• subordinateness
  noun
• subordination
  noun
• subordinative
  adjective
• unsubordinate
  adjective
• unsubordinative
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of subordinate

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English adjective subordynat, from Medieval Latin subōrdinātus, past participle of subōrdināre “to subordinate,” equivalent to Latin sub- “under, below, beneath” + ōrdin- (stem of ōrdō ) “rank, order” + -ātus past participle suffix; see sub-, -ate ¹

Explanation

A subordinate is someone who works for someone else. As a verb, to subordinate means to place or rank one thing below another. When you're doing a group project, sometimes you have to subordinate your ideas to the desires of the larger group. The prefix sub- means "lower" and ordinate refers to an ordering of things. In the army, a private is subordinate to an officer. You can also say the private is a subordinate. When it's an adjective or noun, the word is pronounced "suh-BOR-duh-nit." When it's a verb, it’s pronounced "suh-BOR-duh-nate." Don’t subordinate one pronunciation to the other: they're both equally important.

Example Sentences

Trimmed of its subordinate characters and chorus, it was directed with minimalist fervor by R.B.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

The military is subordinate to its civilian commander in chief, and as chairman of the Joint Chiefs, he has no direct command of battlefield forces.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2026

But Ricardo Monreal, parliamentary leader for the ruling Morena party, rejected the idea that Washington could make Mexico a "subordinate".

From Barron's • Jan. 23, 2026

She says she was then demoted to a subordinate role on a big internal project supporting the other senior manager her report had implicated.

From BBC • Jan. 10, 2026

“How can woman’s position be changed from that of a subordinate to an equal,” she wrote, “without opposition, without the broadest discussion of all the questions involved in her present degradation?”

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

Related Words

• aide
• assistant
• deputy
• servant
• underling