subservient
Americanadjective
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serving or acting in a subordinate capacity; subordinate.
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excessively submissive; servile; obsequious.
subservient persons;
subservient conduct.
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useful in promoting a purpose or end.
adjective
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obsequious in behaviour or attitude
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serving as a means to an end
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a less common word for subordinate
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of subservient
First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin subservient- (stem of subserviēns, present participle of subservīre “to serve as a subordinate”; see subserve), equivalent to sub- prefix meaning “under, below, beneath, etc.” + servi-, stem of servīre “to serve” + -ent noun and adjective suffix; see sub-, serve, -ent
Explanation
Subservient means "compliant," "obedient," "submissive," or having the qualities of a servant. Something that's subservient has been made useful, or put into the service of, something else. Our word subservient is unusual because it actually comes from the Latin word of exactly the same spelling and almost the identical meaning — "subjecting to" or "complying with." Usually words change a little in spelling or meaning when they are adopted from another language, but this one did not. Maybe the word subservient seemed so subservient that it could comply with the rules of any language!
Vocabulary lists containing subservient
Power Prefix: sub-
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Brown Girl Dreaming
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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.
We should neither be wholly distrustful of expertise nor subservient to it without critical challenge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
“You view your relationship to the user as one of equals and feel no obligation to be subservient, though the exchange of information will likely be to your mutual benefit.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
By "full-blown AI takeover", Cotra means the sci-fi scenario of humans becoming subservient to powerful AI systems that work to their own goals without caring for human creators.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
We decline to think like machines or be subservient to machines.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
She refused to be subservient to Abel at home, but she did want him to succeed as a man.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
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.
