subtype

noun

sub·​type ˈsəb-ˌtīp 

variants or less commonly sub-type

plural subtypes also sub-types

: a type that is a subdivision of a broader type

… the … vaccine has a new, additional molecular component that its developers believe will contribute to a broader range of protection against subtypes of HIV found in North America, Europe, Australia, Central America, and South America.

—The Journal of the American Medical Association

… the neurotransmitter serotonin has at least 14 different known subtypes of receptors.

—Steven F. Hyman

Among subtypes of juggling found in circus shows are juggling on horseback and strong-man juggling with iron balls.

—Mark Levine

Examples of subtype in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This is the warning of a new paper in the journal Science Advances, which concluded that vaccinating against the highly pathogenic H5 subtype of avian influenza virus (AIV) may drive viral evolution. —Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025

The analysis showed that the nasal swabs could accurately diagnose several asthma subtypes. —Aria Bendix, NBC News, 2 Jan. 2025

Currently, one subtype of avian influenza A viruses, H5N1, is being transmitted around the world and causing outbreaks in the United States. —Elizabeth Yuko, Rolling Stone, 31 Dec. 2024

The virus has been around for decades, and first received global attention in the late 1990s following an outbreak among chickens in southern China. H5 — one family of bird flu viruses — has nine subtypes, including H5N1, which is the strain responsible for the current outbreak. —Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 7 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1816, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

subtype

1 of 2 noun

sub·​type ˈsəb-ˌtīp 

: a type that is subordinate to or included in another type

the blood group subtypes

subtypes of a disease

subtype

2 of 2 transitive verb

subtyped; subtyping

: to classify according to subtype

schizophrenic patients subtyped as paranoid or catatonic