subservient

/səbˈsɜːviənt/ (bre, ipa) · [səbsˈɚviənt] /səbˈsɜːrviənt/ (ame, ipa) · [səbsˈɚviənt] /səb-ˈsər-vē-ənt How to pronounce subservient (audio)/ (ame, mw)

subservient — adjective

  • subservientpositive
  • more subservientcomparative
  • most subservientsuperlative

1. showing that you are willing to put other people's wishes ahead of your own, oft

1.形容詞B2
釋義

showing that you are willing to put other people's wishes ahead of your own, often because you want their approval or feel you have no power in the situation

例句

Eitan hated his supervisor's tone but stayed subservient because he needed the job.

The maid spoke in a subservient tone whenever the guests addressed her.

subservient + tone / manner (describing behaviour)

同義詞
  • obedient

    more general; can be neutral or positive ('obedient students') without the same negative judgment

  • submissive

    similar meaning but focuses on passive acceptance rather than active willingness to obey

  • servile

    stronger negative tone; suggests a lack of dignity or self-respect

  • deferential

    more formal and often neutral; describes polite respect rather than weak obedience

反義詞
  • assertive

    confidently expressing one's own needs and opinions

  • dominant

    having power and influence over others rather than obeying them

  • independent

    not relying on or controlled by others

文法句型

subservient + to + noun phrase

用法筆記

Strongly negative in tone. While obedient can be neutral or even positive, subservient always suggests that the level of obedience is excessive or comes from weakness. Distinguished from sense 2, which refers to things or roles rather than people's behaviour.

常見錯誤

❌She was subservient to help her team finish the project.
✅She was subservient to her team leader and never questioned his orders.
💡'subservient' describes a general attitude of obedience toward a person or authority, not a one-time action done for a purpose.
❌He was very subservient and polite during the interview.
✅He was polite and cooperative during the interview.
💡'subservient' is too strong and negative for neutral or positive situations; use a different word for healthy cooperation.

2. less important, powerful, or influential than someone or something else, and the

2.形容詞C1
釋義

less important, powerful, or influential than someone or something else, and therefore treated as secondary or placed below them in a system

例句

In the old empire, trade was subservient to military power, and merchants had little influence.

X is considered subservient to Y (hierarchy)

Students' needs must not be subservient to the school's administrative goals.

同義詞
  • subordinate

    more formal and neutral; common in official or organisational contexts

  • secondary

    focuses on order of importance rather than control or power

  • inferior

    stronger negative tone; implies lower quality as well as lower status

反義詞
  • superior

    higher in rank, status, or importance

  • primary

    first or most important in a group

  • dominant

    most powerful, influential, or important

文法句型

subservient + to + noun phrase

用法筆記

Common in formal or academic writing about hierarchies, priorities, and organisational structures. Unlike sense 1, this sense can describe things (roles, goals, systems) and does not necessarily imply a negative judgment — it simply states that one element is placed below another in importance.

常見錯誤

❌This issue is subservient.
✅This issue is subservient to the main problem we are facing.
💡'subservient' almost always needs 'to' to specify what something is less important than.
❌The subservient department worked hard.
✅The department played a subservient role in the organisation.
💡Use 'subservient' to describe the relationship between two things, not as a general adjective for a single entity.