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 synonyms for: subordinate / subordinated / subordinates / subordinating on Thesaurus.com

adjective

placed in or belonging to a lower order or rank.

of less importance; secondary.

subject to or under the authority of a superior.

subservient or inferior.

subject; dependent.

Grammar.

acting as a modifier, as when I finished, which is subordinate to They were glad in They were glad when I finished.
noting or pertaining to a subordinating conjunction.

Obsolete. submissive.

noun

a subordinate person or thing.

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

to place in a lower order or rank.

to make secondary (usually followed by to): to subordinate work to pleasure.

to make subject, subservient, or dependent (usually followed by to): to subordinate passion to reason.

OTHER WORDS FOR subordinate

2 ancillary.

8 inferior.

9 lower, reduce.

See synonyms for subordinate on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR subordinate

2 superior; primary.

See antonyms for subordinate on Thesaurus.com

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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-, -ate¹

OTHER WORDS FROM subordinate

sub·or·di·nate·ly, adverbsub·or·di·nate·ness, nounsub·or·di·na·tion, sub·or·di·na·cy

[suh-bawr-dn-uh-see], /səˈbɔr dn ə si/, nounsub·or·di·na·tive

[suh-bawr-dn-ey-tiv, -bawr-dn-uh-], /səˈbɔr dnˌeɪ tɪv, -ˈbɔr dn ə-/, adjective

non·sub·or·di·nate, adjectivenon·sub·or·di·nat·ing, adjectivepre·sub·or·di·nate, verb (used with object), pre·sub·or·di·nat·ed, pre·sub·or·di·nat·ing.self-sub·or·di·nat·ing, adjectiveun·sub·or·di·nate, adjectiveun·sub·or·di·na·tive, adjective

Words nearby subordinate

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

How to use subordinate in a sentence

Messonnier has told colleagues that, not being a virologist or laboratory specialist, she relied on subordinates with greater subject-matter expertise.
The CDC’s failed race against covid-19: A threat underestimated and a test overcomplicated|David Willman|December 26, 2020|Washington Post
Because my parents had the same kind of job, I never considered one of their careers as subordinate to the other.
Catherine Dulac Finds Brain Circuitry Behind Sex-Specific Behaviors|Claudia Dreifus|December 14, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Pichai quietly withdrew from the board in 2018 and installed a Google subordinate in his place.
Magic Leap tried to create an alternate reality. Its founder was already in one|Verne Kopytoff|September 26, 2020|Fortune
Distill it down, and Greenlight is a way for parents to move money from one account to a subordinate—a role that several money-transfer services already fulfill with Square’s Cash App and PayPal’s Venmo.
Are kids’ allowances recession-proof?|Lucinda Shen|September 24, 2020|Fortune

Same-sex unions would not have opted into the pattern of marriage, which was a relationship, a dominant and a subordinate relationship.
‘Skim milk’ marriages not enough: Ginsburg remembered as LGBTQ ally|Chris Johnson|September 21, 2020|Washington Blade
That is where the subordinate gangs like Big Hazard come in.
The Mexican Mafia Is the Daddy of All Street Gangs|Seth Ferranti|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Indeed, the committee is composed of pastors who are subordinate to Driscoll and were not elected by their fellow pastors.
Another Mega Church Implodes|Warren Throckmorton|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Maria Zhang was sued by a female subordinate who claimed she was forced to have sex with her to keep her job.
Female Yahoo Exec Accused of Sex Abuse Fires Back|Nina Strochlic|July 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Tech PR firm OpenCommunications was hit with claims that its CEO made unwelcome advances toward a subordinate.
Yahoo’s Accused Sexual Harasser Asked Women to Wear More Skirts at Work|Olivia Nuzzi|July 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The individual, even if royal, was subordinate to a larger group.
Virgin Sacrifice and the Meaning of the Parthenon|Nick Romeo|February 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bessires was included because he would never win it at any later date, but his doglike devotion made him a priceless subordinate.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
So far Murat had always held subordinate commands; his great ambition was to become the commander-in-chief of an independent army.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
In 1800 Massna took his trusty subordinate with him to Italy as lieutenant-general of the centre of the army.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
An appeal by a member of a subordinate lodge from a vote of expulsion does not abate by his death while the appeal is pending.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
On the following day he was deprived of his office, and degraded to the rank of subordinate to a new steward.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer

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 forms of subordinate

subordinately, 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

subordinate

OTHER WORDS FOR subordinate

OPPOSITES FOR subordinate

Origin of subordinate

OTHER WORDS FROM subordinate

Words nearby subordinate

Words related to subordinate

How to use subordinate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for subordinate

Derived forms of subordinate

Word Origin for subordinate