subpopulation
Britishnoun
Explanation
A subpopulation is a specific small section within a larger group of people. All American middle-school students would be considered a subpopulation of U.S. residents. Researchers studying a large population of people often break this group down into smaller, more manageable subpopulations. For example, when scientists examine the effects of a contagious disease, it's helpful to understand how it affects the subpopulations of older adults, infants, and people with preexisting conditions — as well as subpopulations including different genders, races, and ethnicities. Subpopulation uses the prefix sub-, "under," from the idea that subpopulations fall under the broader category of an entire population.
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.
Long-term possibilities could include distributing polar bear kibble, but Dr. Derocher said that it wasn’t possible to sustain a subpopulation that way indefinitely.
From New York Times ● Jun. 13, 2024
By parsing out the functions and assigning them to a subpopulation of cells, Schwarz is hopeful that targeted therapy is a possibility.
From Science Daily ● May 28, 2024
Trans scientists shouldn’t be treated as a subpopulation, but as part of a larger scientific community working together to improve our knowledge.
From Science Magazine ● Mar. 14, 2024
By contrast, about 370 orcas are in the subpopulation of Bigg’s hunting the Salish Sea, Shields said.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 10, 2023
The remaining Somali Wild Ass population, according to the IUCN, is left in Eritrea and Ethiopia with the largest recorded subpopulation being just 17 individuals.
From Reuters ● Jul. 6, 2023
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.
