What does "subjugate" mean?
A person forced into submission; a subject.
Subjugate
/ˈsʌbd͡ʒʊɡət/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person forced into submission; a subject.
- Grammar: subjugate is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: subdue, subject, accroach, adopt.
- Useful contrasts: emancipating, abjugate, emancipate.
- Usage evidence: The hero demonstrated that a man could subjugate nature to his uses.
How to use "subjugate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "subjugate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "subjugate" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "subjugate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "subjugate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "subjugate" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "subdue" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "subjugate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person forced into submission; a subject. rare
"[T]he home-loving Phillipino succumbed—the independent agent, under the influence of the "final cry," became the subjugate."
Verb
- 1 To forcibly impose obedience, servitude, or submission upon (a country, a people, etc.). transitive
"O fav'rite Virgin, that haſt vvarm'd the Breaſt, / VVhoſe ſov'reign Dictates ſubjugate the Eaſt!"
- 2 put down by force or intimidation wordnet
- 3 To make (someone or something) subordinate to another person or thing; to subordinate. transitive
"[H]e wil needes haue ſubiects, before he can ſubiugate his affections, and couets the office of a commander, before he hath learned to ſtoupe to the admonitions of his elders, […]"
- 4 make subservient; force to submit or subdue wordnet
- 5 To tame (an animal); to domesticate. transitive
"Though of all other viſible Creatures Man ſeems the leaſt provided vvith natural offenſive Organs, yet by the advantage of his intellectual Faculty and that admirable Organum organorum his Hand, he is infinitely advantaged vvith artificial helps to defend himſelf, and ſubjugate the moſt contumacious and furious Brute: […]"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To put (one's neck or shoulders) under a metaphorical yoke. figuratively, obsolete, rare, transitive
"Let ſuch Princes I ſay adhere to the Pope, & ſubiugate their neckes to his trampling, […]"
Adjective
- 1 Forced into submission; subjugated. not-comparable
"For al their hye mynde they be now ſubiugate: […]"
Example
"The hero demonstrated that a man could subjugate nature to his uses."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "subjugate"?
Common synonyms include: subdue, subject, accroach, adopt, appropriate, arrogate.
How do you use "subjugate" in a sentence?
The hero demonstrated that a man could subjugate nature to his uses.
How do you pronounce "subjugate"?
Pronounced /ˈsʌbd͡ʒʊɡət/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
The adjective is derived from Late Middle English subiugat(e), subjugat(e) (“made submissive; obedient”), the past participle of subiugaten, subjugaten (“to conquer; to subdue”), from Latin subiugātus, subjugātus (“subjugated”), the perfect passive participle of subiugō, subjugō (“to make subject, subjugate”), from sub- (prefix meaning ‘under’) + iugō, jugō (“to join; to yoke”) (from iugum (“collar for a horse; yoke for cattle”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *yewg- (“to tie together, join, yoke”)) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)). Doublet of yoke. The noun is derived from the adjective.
Etymology 2
From Late Middle English subiugate, subjugaten (“to conquer; to subdue”), from Latin subiugātus, subjugātus (“subjugated”): see further at etymology 1. The verb is attested slightly later than the adjective.