definitions

subordinate

[ adjective, noun suh-bawr-dn-it; verb suh-bawr-dn-eyt ]
/ adjective, noun səˈbɔr dn ɪt; verb səˈbɔr dnˌeɪt /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR subordinate ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

noun

a subordinate person or thing.

verb (used with object), sub·or·di·nat·ed, sub·or·di·nat·ing.

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RELATED WORDS

deputy, servant, aide, assistant, underling, collateral, lower, sub, auxiliary, tributary, dependent, secondary, inferior, satellite, junior, low, subsidiary, accessory, subaltern, minor

Nearby words

suboptimal, suborbital, suborder, subordinal, subordinary, subordinate, subordinate clause, subordinated, subordinated debt, subordinating conjunction, subordination

Origin of subordinate

1425–75; late Middle English (adj.) < Medieval Latin subōrdinātus past participle of subōrdināre to subordinate, equivalent to Latin sub- sub- + ōrdin- (stem of ōrdō) rank, order + -ātus -ate1
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for subordinate

British Dictionary definitions for subordinate

subordinate

adjective (səˈbɔːdɪnɪt)

of lesser order or importance
under the authority or control of anothera subordinate functionary

noun (səˈbɔːdɪnɪt)

a person or thing that is subordinate

verb (səˈbɔːdɪˌneɪt) (tr usually foll by to)

to put in a lower rank or position (than)
to make subservientto subordinate mind to heart
Derived Formssubordinately, adverbsubordination or subordinateness, nounsubordinative, adjective

Word Origin for subordinate

C15: from Medieval Latin subordināre, from Latin sub- + ordō rank
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