subservient

[ suh b-sur-vee-uh nt ]
/ səbˈsɜr vi ənt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR subservient ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

serving or acting in a subordinate capacity; subordinate.
servile; excessively submissive; obsequious: subservient persons; subservient conduct.
useful in promoting a purpose or end.

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

"Little Women" may be a classic, but that doesn't mean we all know the meanings of the vocab words from the book. Can you define these words correctly and make Jo proud?
Question 1 of 10
earnest
full seriousness, as of intention or purpose.
a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.
urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.
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Origin of subservient

1625–35; < Latin subservient- (stem of subserviēns, present participle of subservīre to subserve), equivalent to sub- sub- + servi-, stem of servīre to serve + -ent -ent

OTHER WORDS FROM subservient

sub·ser·vi·ence, sub·ser·vi·en·cy, nounsub·ser·vi·ent·ly, adverbun·sub·ser·vi·ent, adjectiveun·sub·ser·vi·ent·ly, adverb

Words nearby subservient

subsequent, subsere, subserous, subserous plexus, subserve, subservient, subset, subshell, subshrub, subside, subsidence
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to subservient

submissive, deferential, inferior, abject, acquiescent, cringing, docile, fawning, ignoble, mean, menial, obeisant, obsequious, resigned, servile, slavish, subject, bootlicking, cowering, dancing

Example sentences from the Web for subservient

British Dictionary definitions for subservient

subservient
/ (səbˈsɜːvɪənt) /

adjective

obsequious in behaviour or attitude
serving as a means to an end
a less common word for subordinate (def. 2)

Derived forms of subservient

subserviently, adverbsubservience or subserviency, noun

Word Origin for subservient

C17: from Latin subserviēns complying with, from subservīre to subserve
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