as in lesser
having not so great importance or rank as another
his contention is that environment plays a subordinate role to heredity in determining what we become
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in underling
one who is of lower rank and typically under the authority of another
subordinates do most of the actual creation of the famous designer's clothing designs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to subject
to bring under one's control by force of arms
it is one of the lessons of history that more powerful civilizations often subordinate weaker ones
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of subordinate
Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 12 Mar. 2025
The Soviet Union was a centralized dictatorship, and the political leaders of Ukraine and Belarus were subordinate to the Politburo in Moscow.
—Franziska Exeler, The Dial, 18 Feb. 2025
Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2025
More strangely, however, Wynn-Williams claims that Sandberg had a habit of crossing boundaries with her female subordinates.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2025
Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
The iPhone had turned my mind into a version of a notification screen, and this tumult swept me up, subordinating my moods and mind to its whims.
—Charley Locke, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subordinate
Adjective
These investments are subordinate to $51.3 million in mortgage debt.
—Noun
The secretary of State has been handed a pair of seemingly contradictory policy objectives in the Middle East — by a boss who has shown little patience with subordinates who fail to reconcile his own sometimes conflicting goals.
—Verb
The thing is finding a way to collaborate, of coordinating without subordinating anyone for the benefit of our people.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for subordinate
Adjective
-
Toronto’s Fred VanVleet appears to be the top target, but Miami’s Kyle Lowry, Utah’s Mike Conley and, perhaps to a lesser extent, Charlotte’s Terry Rozier have been linked to the team at various points.—
-
The story of 2022 (and 2021 to a lesser extent) was energy.—
Noun
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Tom Girardi’s underling faces discipline charges over a $53-million payout kept secret from clients.—
-
The new emails are also intended to allow supervisors to get a better understanding of underlings’ work and help align different agencies.—
Verb
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In addition to subjecting them to electric shocks for interrogations, guards would force prisoners to stand in uncomfortable positions and then hit them in the genitals or knock them to the ground, according to Shyshko.—
-
But plastic is a poor reflector of X-rays, which allowed the deadly disc to evade detection and subjecting the mother, grandmother and beloved family matriarch to prolonged anguish that culminated in her death on Dec. 13, 2023.—
Adjective
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At its southern end, the state highway turns west off Meridian Road at Kuna Road and onto East Avalon Street for less than three blocks before ending at Orchard.—
-
Unweighted accuracy showed less variability across systems.—
Verb
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Houston and Florida play for title and put a different spin on the underdog role to wrap the NCAA Tournament UConn returns to top of women’s basketball, dominates South Carolina 82-59 to capture its 12th NCAA title Tomislav Ivišić will return to Illinois — and be joined by twin Zvonimir.—
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The singer-songwriter has spent the past several years not just dominating the music rankings in the U.S. and abroad, but essentially rewriting what commercial success looks like for a solo artist in the modern age.—
Noun
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With eight practices completed, Hoover, a junior, is pleased with the progress the Horned Frogs have made.—
-
Lincoln-Way East pitcher Audrey Bullock, a junior who’s committed to Fairmont, countered with a four-hitter featuring 10 strikeouts and two walks.—
Verb
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The clean, modern lines, subdued colors, abundant natural light, and open floor plan all checked out.—
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Looking ahead, Wolf reckoned that EMs can move higher if the U.S. dollar continues to weaken and the impact of tariffs on overall trade is subdued.—
Adjective
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And ultimately, the Supreme Court overruled those lower court rulings and did declare the embryos as children qualifying under the wrongful death statute.—
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Lower gas demand amid increasing supply has led to lower pump prices.—
Cite this Entry
“Subordinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subordinate. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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