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Since jugus means "yoke" in Latin, subjugate means literally "bring under the yoke". Farmers control oxen by means of a heavy wooden yoke over their shoulders. In ancient Rome, conquered soldiers, stripped of their uniforms, might actually be forced to pass under an ox yoke as a sign of submission to the Roman victors. Even without an actual yoke, what happens to a population that has come under the control of another can be every bit as humiliating. In dozens of countries throughout the world, ethnic minorities are denied basic rights and view themselves as subjugated by their country's government, army, and police.
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Examples of subjugate in a Sentence
Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 17 Jan. 2025
For generations, Black hair has been subjugated, limited, and stripped of choice.
—Cierra Black, Essence, 17 Jan. 2025
In his first term, President Donald Trump initially promised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a free hand to subjugate the Kurdish region of northern Syria before reversing his decision and reaffirming the U.S. commitment to Kurdish autonomy.
—Steven Simon, Foreign Affairs, 3 Jan. 2025
Despite a propaganda campaign encouraging all Americans to come together and do their part to defeat the Axis and totalitarianism, the U.S. military remained rigidly segregated with people of color subjugated into subordinate roles and Black soldiers discriminated against abroad and at home.
—Tracie Canada / Made By History, TIME, 1 Jan. 2025
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“Subjugate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subjugate. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.
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subjugate
verb
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