subordinate

[ adjective, noun suh-bawr-dn-it; verb suh-bawr-dn-eyt ]
/ adjective, noun səˈbɔr dn ɪt; verb səˈbɔr dnˌeɪt /

adjective

noun

a subordinate person or thing.

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

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT 2ND-3RD GRADE VOCAB FROM BOOKS!

Are you learning new vocabulary? Or do you just have an interest in words? Either way, this quiz is for you.
Question 1 of 10
orchard
body of land completely surrounded by water
group of cultivated fruit trees
long mournful cry
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

SYNONYMS FOR subordinate

2 ancillary.
8 inferior.
9 lower, reduce.

ANTONYMS FOR subordinate

2 superior; primary.

OTHER WORDS FROM subordinate

Words nearby subordinate

suboptimal, suborbital, suborder, subordinal, subordinary, subordinate, subordinate clause, subordinated, subordinated debt, subordinating conjunction, subordination
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for subordinative

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