subordination

Sometimes sub·or·di·na·cy

[suh-bawr-dn-ey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of placing in a lower rank or position.

   The refusal to allow women to be educated was part of society's subordination of women to men.

2. the act of subordinating, or of making dependent, secondary, or subservient.

3. the condition of being subordinated, or made dependent, secondary, or subservient.

subordination

1. The use of expressions that make one element of a sentence dependent on another. In the following sentence, the first (italicized) clause (also called a subordinate clause) is subordinate to the second clause: “Despite all efforts toward a peaceful settlement of the dispute, war finally broke out.” (Compare coordination, dependent clause, and independent clause.)

Other Word Forms

• nonsubordination noun
• presubordination noun
• self-subordination noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of subordination¹

First recorded in 1425–75; from Late Latin subordination-, stem of subordinatio, equivalent to Medieval Latin subōrdināt(us), past participle of subōrdināre subordinate ( def. ) + -iō -ion ( def. )

Example Sentences

Just as you revert to being about nine years old when you go home to visit your parents, you revert to total subordination when you are in the presence of your former CEO.

Read more on Literature

Mr. Wertman writes that when lenders demand “unanimous consent on subordination, it’s a signal that confidence in collateral integrity is faltering.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Terms requiring unanimous lender consent before any lien subordination jumped 23 percentage points in the third quarter and now appear in 84% of all credit deals.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“It’s really about racial subordination, and this is really about promoting white supremacy in this nation,” George Galvis, executive director of Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, told me.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Imperialism is always about conquest and total subordination of one regime to another.

Read more on Salon