subordinate
Americanadjective
-
placed in or belonging to a lower order or rank.
-
of less importance; secondary.
- Synonyms:
- ancillary
-
subject to or under the authority of a superior.
-
subservient or inferior.
-
Grammar.
-
acting as a modifier, as when I finished, which is subordinate to They were glad in They were glad when I finished.
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noting or pertaining to a subordinating conjunction.
-
-
Obsolete. submissive.
noun
-
subordinates
plural
verb (used with object)
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subordinates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
subordinated,
past participle, past
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subordinating
present participle
adjective
-
of lesser order or importance
-
under the authority or control of another
a subordinate functionary
noun
verb
-
to put in a lower rank or position (than)
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to make subservient
to subordinate mind to heart
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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subordinacynoun
-
subordinatenessnoun
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subordinationnoun
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presubordinateverb (used with object)
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nonsubordinateadjective
-
nonsubordinatingadjective
-
self-subordinatingadjective
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subordinativeadjective
-
unsubordinateadjective
-
unsubordinativeadjective
-
subordinatelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
subordinatesimple
-
subordinatessimple
-
have subordinatedperfect
-
has subordinatedperfect
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am subordinatingprogressive
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are subordinatingprogressive
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is subordinatingprogressive
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have been subordinatingperfect progressive
-
has been subordinatingperfect progressive
Past
-
subordinatedsimple
-
had subordinatedperfect
-
was subordinatingprogressive
-
were subordinatingprogressive
-
had been subordinatingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing subordinate
List 1
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Latin Root "sub" Words
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ASVAB Word Knowledge
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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.
See Examples For:
Nevertheless, keeping a creditworthy borrower in a home through a sustainable modification and resolving the arrearage through a subordinate lien can be dramatically less costly than allowing the loan to fail.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
“A relationship with a subordinate is so garden-variety, it’s not going to influence that many board members other than for them to say, ‘Let’s give this person a warning,’” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
"Nor can the interests of national associations, leagues, clubs, players and supporters become subordinate to investor returns. Football cannot mortgage its future for financial gain," Ceferin said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
A few of the subordinate roles are amateurishly performed, but the main parts are vividly pulled off, and I was generally impressed by the ensemble’s flow and cohesion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
But in the same way that a freedom fighter subordinates his own family to the family of the people, he must subordinate his own individual feelings to the movement.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Wasn’t it true, a juror asked, that he had taken to delegating tasks to subordinates in recent years?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Holder, subordinates text and history to state prerogatives.
From Slate ● May 5, 2026
This has long unnerved investors wary of backing a company whose mission explicitly subordinates profit to the broader benefit of humanity.
From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026
After its triumph in war with Persia, Athens under Pericles began to treat its allies as subordinates to be exploited.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
Over brandy, Major Arthur Maxwell of His Majesty’s Marines and his subordinates passed around binoculars to observe the situation ashore.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
A press release from EFG refers to "approximately 232.6 million euros of subordinated debt".
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
The iTraxx Europe Sub financials index of euro subordinated bonds credit default swaps rises 2 basis points to 101bps, S&P Global Market Intelligence data show.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
In his post on X, he said that "the fight against drugs must be subordinated to the human rights of the Caribbean people".
From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2025
That climate of deference fostered a culture of complicity, where questions of social responsibility were subordinated to uncritical faith in authority.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2025
Consequently, we frequently find senior mathematical, engineering, and scientific people ardently wooed by industry and then subordinated to newly minted M.B.A.s and accountants.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
“We are going to collaborate .. but without subordinating ourselves,” she wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2024
He prioritized camaraderie with league officials to burnish his résumé, subordinating WSU’s interests.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 11, 2023
Foti did not respond when asked about Gosar's pattern of subordinating congressional rules to his religion.
From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2023
He too believed in compromise, in making concessions, in subordinating personal goals for the good of the country, or the court.
From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2022
He was therefore well practiced in subordinating his own inclinations and style to Washington’s larger purposes.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
