subordinate meaning
subordinate :
lower in rank, less important
adjective
▪ She holds a subordinate position in the company.
▪ She has a lower rank in the company.
▪ Subordinate tasks are less important.
▪ Less important tasks are subordinate.
paraphrasing
▪ inferior – lower in quality
▪ secondary – less important
▪ minor – not important
▪ junior – lower in rank
subordinate :
a person lower in rank or position
noun
▪ He is her subordinate at work.
▪ He is lower in rank than her at work.
▪ Subordinates must follow orders.
▪ People lower in rank must follow orders.
paraphrasing
▪ assistant – helper
▪ employee – worker
▪ follower – someone who follows
▪ underling – person lower in rank
subordinate :
to treat as less important
verb
▪ She subordinated her needs to help others.
▪ She made her needs less important to help others.
▪ They subordinated their goals for the team.
▪ They made their goals less important for the team.
paraphrasing
▪ demote – to lower in rank
▪ downgrade – to make less important
▪ reduce – to make smaller
▪ diminish – to lessen
Pronunciation
subordinate [səˈbɔːrdənət]
The stress is on 'bor' and sounds like 'suh-bor-din-it'.
Common phrases and grammar about subordinate
subordinate - Common meaning
adjective
lower in rank, less important
noun
a person lower in rank or position
verb
to treat as less important
Part of Speech Changes for "subordinate"
▪ subordination (noun) – the act of making less important
▪ subordinately (adverb) – in a way that is less important
Common Expressions with "subordinate"
▪ subordinate role – a less important role
▪ subordinate position – a lower rank position
▪ subordinate clause – a less important part of a sentence
▪ subordinate staff – employees with lower rank
Important examples of subordinate in TOEIC
Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test
In TOEIC vocabulary questions, subordinate often refers to roles or positions in a company.
Example of a confusing word: suborn (to bribe or induce someone to commit an unlawful act)
Grammar examples from the TOEIC test
Subordinate is used in grammar questions to describe clauses or roles that are less important.
subordinate
Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC
subordinate clause
'a less important part of a sentence', used in grammar to describe parts of a sentence.
play second fiddle
means 'to be less important', used to describe someone in a less important role.
Differences between similar words and subordinate
subordinate
,
inferior
differences
Subordinate is used for rank or position, while inferior is often used for quality or value.
subordinate
,
assistant
differences
Subordinate refers to rank or position, while assistant refers to someone who helps.
Words with the same origin as subordinate
The origin of subordinate
The word subordinate comes from the Latin 'subordinare', which means to place in a lower order.
Word structure
It has the prefix sub (under), root ordin (order), and suffix ate (verb), so subordinate means 'to order under'.
Words with the same origin
The root of subordinate is ordin (order). Words with the same root include ordinary (usual), coordinate (to arrange), and extraordinary (unusual).
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