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 And the reverend’s response reveals a contradiction that many Black Christian women have faced: They are encouraged to seek spiritual freedom but are still expected to remain subservient. —

Tope Folarin, The Atlantic, 21 Nov. 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 did. —

Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar, Foreign Affairs, 16 July 2024 This is a consequence of complaints about the subservient and obliging female voices of Sky and, earlier, of Siri and Alexa. —

Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024 And the subservient leadership training that the program went through over the summer — a three-day, approximately five-hour course that Jeremiah, who has been at the school for 21 years, insisted his coaches and players take — proved crucial amid this fall’s adversity. —

Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 4 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for subservient

Recent Examples of Synonyms for subservient

Adjective

Trager did not respond to questions from The Courier Journal about whether the mayor had watched videos of the pregnant woman receiving a citation or of Stewart's subordinate using force on the man at the downtown hotel.

Josh Wood, The Courier-Journal, 20 Dec. 2024
The social critique was still in there but subordinate to these rich, comically flawed characters, each getting something like their own book.

Adam Moss, Vulture, 25 Nov. 2024