subgroup
/ˈsʌbɡruːp/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈsʌbɡruːp/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsəb-ˌgrüp/ (ame, mw)
subgroup — noun
- subgroupsingular
- subgroupsplural
1. a smaller group of people or things that exists within a larger group, typically
a smaller group of people or things that exists within a larger group, typically sharing a common feature or purpose.
The teacher split the class into subgroups of four students for the science project.
collocation: split into subgroups
Within the engineering department, a subgroup focuses entirely on solar energy research.
grammar: subgroup + focuses on
The dance club has several subgroups, including a hip-hop team and a ballroom section.
Each subgroup of the committee meets separately before reporting back to the main board.
Biologists identified a subgroup of insects that share a single ancient ancestor.
- division
broader term; a division can be any part of an organisation, not necessarily smaller
- subset
more technical; used especially in mathematics, statistics, and data
- subdivision
focuses on the act of dividing; used in academic and formal contexts
- whole group
the complete larger group that contains the subgroup
- superset
technical term from mathematics for a set that contains another set
文法句型
subgroup + of + noun phrase
用法筆記
Frequently used with the preposition 'of' to specify the larger group: 'a subgroup of patients', 'a subgroup of voters'. Commonly follows verbs like 'form', 'create', 'identify', 'divide into', 'split into'.
常見錯誤
2. a specific category of people or items within a studied population, defined by s
a specific category of people or items within a studied population, defined by shared characteristics such as age, income, or health status, and used for comparative analysis.
Researchers analyzed the responses of each age subgroup separately to detect generational trends.
collocation: age subgroup
Patients in the over-sixty subgroup showed the most improvement after eight weeks of treatment.
noun compound: over-sixty subgroup
The survey results varied significantly across different income subgroups in the city.
When the data was examined by subgroup, the marketing team discovered unexpected buying patterns.
A small subgroup of study participants reported no side effects at all during the trial.
文法句型
[adjective] + subgroup
subgroup + of + [population characteristic]
用法筆記
In research writing, 'subgroup' is often paired with a preceding adjective that specifies the criterion (e.g. 'age subgroup', 'income subgroup', 'treatment subgroup'). Distinguish from sense 1: this sense appears almost exclusively in research, clinical, and statistical contexts where comparative analysis is the goal, not simply general grouping.