subaltern

Pluralsubalterns

1. 1
   nounBritishcountable

   A junior officer in the armed forces with a rank below captain, such as a lieutenant.

   My great-grandfather joined the regiment as a subaltern in 1915.

   The subalterns stood in a line in front of the colonel.

   Note
2. 2
   adjective

   Lower in rank or less important, especially as an army officer below a captain.

   He did not want a subaltern job in his brother's company.

   The subaltern officers ate at their own table.

   Similarsubordinate

   Oppositesuperior, senior

   Note
3. 3
   nouncountable

   A person who works under someone else and takes orders from them.

   He treated every subaltern in the office like a servant.

   The boss let his subalterns do all the boring work.

   Similarsubordinate, underling, junior

   Oppositesuperior

4. 4
   nouncountable

   A person from a group left out of power in a colony and in the country that rules it.

   The book tells the story of the colony from the side of the subaltern, not the rulers.

   Many subalterns in the colony had no say in the laws that ruled them.

   Note
5. 5
   nouncountable

   In logic, a statement that follows from a matching statement about all things of a kind.

   "Some cats are black" is the subaltern of "All cats are black."

   Our teacher showed us how to find the subaltern of any "all" statement.

   Oppositesuperaltern

   Note
6. 6
   adjective

   Saying only part of what another, related statement says.

   "Some dogs bark" is a subaltern statement, because it says less than "All dogs bark."

   A subaltern claim can be true even when the bigger claim is false.

   Note

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