subordinate
Americanadjective
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placed in or belonging to a lower order or rank.
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of less importance; secondary.
- Synonyms:
- ancillary
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subject to or under the authority of a superior.
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subservient or inferior.
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Grammar.
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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.
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Obsolete. submissive.
noun
verb (used with object)
adjective
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of lesser order or importance
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under the authority or control of another
a subordinate functionary
noun
verb
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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
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subordinatenessnoun
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subordinationnoun
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nonsubordinateadjective
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nonsubordinatingadjective
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self-subordinatingadjective
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subordinativeadjective
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unsubordinateadjective
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unsubordinativeadjective
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subordinatelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
subordinatesimple
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subordinatessimple
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have subordinatedperfect
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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
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has been subordinatingperfect progressive
Past
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subordinatedsimple
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had subordinatedperfect
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was subordinatingprogressive
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were subordinatingprogressive
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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.
Instead, the history of sacrifice is one of heteronomy—that is, being subordinate to “forces that we do not control.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 25, 2026
"Uganda has been ready for a civilian leader since time immemorial," he insists, adding that according to Uganda's constitution, the military must be subordinate to the civilian authority.
From BBC • Jan. 10, 2026
Credit-rating firms rate the preferreds lower than the senior debt of the same issuers since preferreds are subordinate to bonds in the event of default.
From Barron's • Dec. 4, 2025
Ratcliffe, the former DNI, has been nominated as director of the CIA and would be subordinate to Gabbard, according to this plan.
From Salon • Dec. 4, 2024
“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
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.
