SUBSERVIENT Synonyms: 151 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'subservient' distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of subservient are obsequious , servile , and slavish . While all these words mean "showing or characterized by extreme compliance or abject obedience," subservient implies the cringing manner of one very conscious of a subordinate position. // domestic help was expected to be properly subservient

Q: When could 'obsequious' be used to replace 'subservient'?

In some situations, the words obsequious and subservient are roughly equivalent. However, obsequious implies fawning or sycophantic compliance and exaggerated deference of manner. // waiters who are obsequious in the presence of celebrities

Q: When is it sensible to use 'servile' instead of 'subservient'?

The meanings of servile and subservient largely overlap; however, servile suggests the mean or fawning behavior of a slave. // a political boss and his entourage of servile hangers-on

Q: Where would 'slavish' be a reasonable alternative to 'subservient'?

The words slavish and subservient can be used in similar contexts, but slavish suggests abject or debased servility. // the slavish status of migrant farm workers

subservient

adjective

Definition of subservient next

as in subordinate

very willing to obey someone else She was an equal partner in the marriage and not a subservient wife.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in secondary

having a less important role, job, or place as something else The employees used to build things by hand but now were subservient to automated equipment that handled much of production.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word subservient distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of subservient are obsequious, servile, and slavish. While all these words mean "showing or characterized by extreme compliance or abject obedience," subservient implies the cringing manner of one very conscious of a subordinate position.

domestic help was expected to be properly subservient

When could obsequious be used to replace subservient?

In some situations, the words obsequious and subservient are roughly equivalent. However, obsequious implies fawning or sycophantic compliance and exaggerated deference of manner.

waiters who are obsequious in the presence of celebrities

When is it sensible to use servile instead of subservient?

The meanings of servile and subservient largely overlap; however, servile suggests the mean or fawning behavior of a slave.

a political boss and his entourage of servile hangers-on

Where would slavish be a reasonable alternative to subservient?

The words slavish and subservient can be used in similar contexts, but slavish suggests abject or debased servility.

the slavish status of migrant farm workers

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of subservient In her eyes, trad wives are homemakers whose priority is cooking, cleaning and being subservient to men. —

Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 1 Aug. 2024 Listen to this article The man leading a conservative plan to remake the American government subservient to Donald Trump stepped down from his position Tuesday. —

Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 30 July 2024 But many white Southerners resisted such efforts, often using terrorism to push their Black neighbors into subservient positions. —

Tore Olsson, The Conversation, 19 July 2024 The incoming president may not be as subservient to Khamenei as Raisi was, but Pezeshkian is unlikely to challenge the supreme leader as much as Khatami and Rouhani. —

Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar, Foreign Affairs, 16 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for subservient

Recent Examples of Synonyms for subservient

Adjective

The president, in other words, is increasingly subordinate to the courts.

Ian Millhiser, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
This subordinate specification could allow regulators to implement auditing capabilities world-wide.

James Felton Keith, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024