subordinate

Pluralsubordinates

Formssubordinates, subordinating, subordinated

1. 1
   nouncountable

   A person with a lower rank or job than someone else, who takes orders from them.

   The captain gave clear orders to his subordinates.

   A good boss listens to every subordinate on the team.

   Similarunderling, junior, inferior

   Oppositesuperior, boss, supervisor, manager

2. 2
   adjective

   Lower in rank, class, or position than something else.

   The main office has three subordinate offices in nearby towns.

   In the list, each subordinate topic sits under a main topic.

   Similarlesser

   Oppositesuperior

   Note
3. 3
   adjective

   Below another person or thing in power or importance, or under their control.

   In the club, all the members are subordinate to the president.

   His own wishes always seemed subordinate to his father's.

   Similarsubject, secondary, subservient, inferior

   Oppositeinsubordinate

   Note
4. 4
   verbtransitive

   To treat a person as if they matter less than others.

   A good coach does not subordinate the younger players on the team.

   The manager subordinates the new workers and never listens to their ideas.

   Similarbelittle, denigrate

   Oppositeelevate

5. 5
   adjective

   Used about a part of a sentence that cannot stand alone and adds to the main part.

   A subordinate clause often starts with a word like because or when.

   Our teacher asked us to underline the subordinate clause in each sentence.

   Similardependent

   Oppositemain, independent

   Note
6. 6
   verbtransitive

   To put one clause inside another, main clause, as a smaller part of it.

   Use the word because to subordinate the second clause to the first.

   In her essay, she subordinated the clause about the weather so her main idea came first.

   Oppositecoordinate

   Note
7. 7
   verbtransitive

   To put a debt further back in line for being paid if the borrower goes bankrupt.

   The owners agreed to subordinate their own loans so the bank would lend the company more money.

   The judge subordinated the owner's claim, so he will be paid after everyone else.

   Note
8. 8
   nouncountable

   A word that names one kind of something more general, like 'oak' for 'tree'.

   In this list, 'oak' is a subordinate of 'tree'.

   The teacher asked us to find two subordinates of the word 'fruit'.

   Similarhyponym

   Oppositehypernym, superordinate

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