subordinate

¹sub·or·di·nate

adj \sə-ˈbȯr-də-nət, -ˈbȯrd-nət\

Definition of SUBORDINATE

1

: placed in or occupying a lower class, rank, or position : inferior <a subordinate officer>

2

: submissive to or controlled by authority

3

a : of, relating to, or constituting a clause that functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb b : subordinating

— sub·or·di·nate·ly adverb

— sub·or·di·nate·ness noun

Examples of SUBORDINATE

1. <his contention is that environment plays a subordinate role to heredity in determining what we become>
2. About two-thirds of the way through, this nonsense comes to life for fifteen minutes when the point of view shifts to that of a subordinate character, an aging thug (well played by Laurence Fishburne) who is employed by the casino to spot card counters. —Richard Alleva, Commonweal, May 9, 2008
3. A reporter's right to protect a source is a subordinate matter that obfuscates the more important issue of violating journalistic integrity and responsibility when one becomes an agent, if not a pawn, of a mean-spirited and vindictive retaliation scheme. —Jon Duffey, Editor & Publisher, 13 Oct. 2003
4. She was thirty-three, furiously frustrated with her subordinate role in the studio—attending to the model's hair, makeup, and clothes—and chronically dissatisfied with her own pictures, which represented a different kind of woman's work. —Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2003

Origin of SUBORDINATE

Middle English subordinat, from Medieval Latin subordinatus, past participle of subordinare to subordinate, from Latin sub- + ordinare to order — more at ordain

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to SUBORDINATE

Synonyms: inferior, junior, less, lower, minor, smaller, lesser

Antonyms: greater, higher, major, more, primary, prime, senior, superior, superordinate

Related Words: little, mean, small; minute, petty; jerkwater, one-horse, second-class, second-rate, two-bit; associate, auxiliary, secondary, subsidiary

Near Antonyms: choice, exceptional, first-class, first-rate

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