subservient
adjective
sub·ser·vi·ent
| \ səb-ˈsər-vē-ənt
\
\
Definition of subservient
1
: useful in an inferior capacity : subordinate
2
: serving to promote some end
3
: obsequiously submissive : truckling
Keep scrolling for more
Examples of subservient in a Sentence
Henson and Stowe did become close friends, and Stowe herself drew direct parallels between Uncle Tom and Josiah Henson. Sadder still, the term "Uncle Tom" has since taken on negative, minstrel-show connotations of subservient blacks kowtowing to whites, which is unfortunate, because it undermines the triumph that was Josiah Henson's life. He was no caricature, and his achievements were real.
— Will Ferguson, Beauty Tips From Moose Jaw, 2004
Sally Boysen, a psychologist at Ohio State University, probed the degree to which a chimp's ability to reason is subservient to the animal's desires.
— Eugene Linden, Time, 6 Sept. 1999
That's why many believe that I have the right to preach but not to pastor. For a woman to be a pastor would mean that men would have to submit and be subservient to a woman.
— Chryll Crews, Ms., January/February 1998
As for a "European Europe," allied with but not subservient to the United States, providing for its own defense and diplomacy and practicing detente with Moscow, de Gaulle did not achieve it in his lifetime, but there was at least a beginning.
— Stanley Hoffmann, New York Times Book Review, 20 Mar. 1983
She refused to take a subservient role in their marriage.
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Who doesn’t really seem to like any personalities that are as big as his, or any players who aren’t subservient. — Ann Killion, SFChronicle.com, "Was Antonio Brown saga a ploy? A Patriots game? Or just Raiders as usual?," 7 Sep. 2019 Families were diminished, identities were lost, and a woman’s right to her body was subservient to the state. — Jeffrey Fleishmanstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, "She was born into China’s one-child policy. Now, she’s unearthing its ghosts," 9 Aug. 2019 Speaking to a standing-room crowd at the CERAWeek energy conference here, Mr. Pompeo said countries including Russia and Iran had long used their oil and gas assets to trap weaker nations into subservient relationships. — Timothy Puko, WSJ, "Trump’s Secretary of State Wants Energy Companies to Help Spread U.S. Values," 13 Mar. 2019 Even if that's true, Miller had to play his cards the right way and not get crosswise with Kush or be seen as subservient to Arizona. — Jeff Metcalfe, azcentral, "Reluctant to leave WAC, Arizona State has Arizona to thank for pushing move into Pac-8," 22 June 2019 If federal courts may compel states to reinstate Medicaid providers, the political branches become subservient to the judiciary and the state-federal relationship is abrogated. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Behind the Supreme Court’s Dodge," 12 Dec. 2018 Speaking up can also risk financial troubles, since many congregations of nuns are financially subservient to priests and bishops. — Tim Sullivan, The Seattle Times, "AP finds long history of nuns abused by priests in India," 1 Jan. 2019 At a breakfast with Stoltenberg before the summit, Trump redirected a question about his looming meeting with Putin by suggesting that a natural gas pipeline project has made Germany subservient to Russia. — Eli Stokols, latimes.com, "Trump disrupts NATO summit with blasts at allies, especially Germany, and new defense spending demands," 11 July 2018 Throughout its history, the Russian Orthodox Church had been subservient to the state and an unshakable supporter of autocracy. — Michael Khodarkovsky, WSJ, "Russia Wages a Religious War Against Ukraine," 30 Sep. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'subservient.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for subservient
subservient
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of subservient
: very willing or too willing to obey someone else
formal
: less important than something or someone else
See the full definition for subservient in the English Language Learners Dictionary
subservient
adjective
sub·ser·vi·ent
| \ səb-ˈsər-vē-ənt
\
\
Kids Definition of subservient
: submissive
If Martha had been a well-trained fine young lady's maid she would have been more subservient …— Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden
Keep scrolling for more