subordinate
gb/səbˈɔɹdənɪt/ us/səbˈɔɹdənɪt/
B2
英语
~ 6400
义项
0 个义项
名词
B2
entity
1
person of lower rank at work
A person who works under another person and has less power or rank than them.
用法模式：
[someone] is a subordinate of [someone]
常见错误：
Learners sometimes say *"he is my subordinate to me"* instead of *"he is my subordinate"* or *"he is subordinate to me"*. Do not add "to me" after "my subordinate"; possessive already shows the relationship.
近义词
junior (Suggests lower rank or level, especially in a job, but sounds more neutral and less focused on power difference.)
|
underling (Informal and often negative or insulting, highlighting the power gap more strongly than "subordinate".)
反义词
superior (Refers to a person who has higher rank or authority, the opposite position in the same hierarchy.)
搭配
manage subordinates
|direct subordinates
|immediate subordinates
|his subordinates
|subordinate staff
|supervisor and subordinates
主题
work
|business
|society
|core_vocabulary
例句
- As a manager, she meets with her subordinates every Monday to set weekly goals.
- His subordinates respect him because he listens to their ideas.
- The report was prepared by one of the director's subordinates.
- Supervisors are responsible for training their subordinates in safety procedures.
学习者例句
- My boss asked his subordinates to stay late.
- Her subordinates send her a report every week.
- The new manager wants to build trust with his subordinates.
adjective
B2
property
2
lower in rank or authority
Having less power or rank than another person or group.
用法模式：
[someone/something] is subordinate to [someone/something]
常见错误：
Learners sometimes drop the preposition and say *"he is subordinate him"* instead of *"he is subordinate to him"*. Use the pattern "subordinate to [someone]" when it follows the verb "be".
近义词
junior (Common in job titles (e.g. junior manager), focuses on level or experience more than strict power hierarchy.)
|
lower-ranking (Clearly describes place in a hierarchy but sounds slightly more technical or descriptive.)
反义词
senior (Describes someone having higher rank or longer service in an organization, the opposite position in the hierarchy.)
搭配
be subordinate to
|subordinate staff
|subordinate position
|subordinate officers
|subordinate units
主题
work
|business
|society
例句
- All regional managers are subordinate to the country director.
- In the military, lieutenants are subordinate to captains.
- The committee is subordinate to the main board of directors.
- Several subordinate units report directly to the central office.
学习者例句
- The sales team is subordinate to the marketing director.
- Local offices are subordinate to the head office.
- These officers are subordinate to the general.
adjective
formal
B2
property
3
less important or secondary
Less important than something else; not the main thing.
用法模式：
[something] is subordinate to [something more important]
常见错误：
Learners sometimes confuse this with the noun and say *"my subordinate role"* to mean "the person under me". "Subordinate role" describes the importance of a role, not a person who reports to someone.
近义词
secondary (Very close in meaning, but slightly more common in everyday use and less tied to ideas of hierarchy.)
|
minor (Stronger sense of being small or not very important, sometimes less formal than "subordinate".)
反义词
primary (Shows that something is the main or most important thing, the opposite of a subordinate or secondary element.)
搭配
subordinate role
|subordinate issue
|subordinate concern
|subordinate aim
|subordinate function
主题
thinking
|communication
|core_vocabulary
例句
- Economic growth should not be treated as subordinate to short-term political goals.
- The visual effects play a subordinate role to the story in this film.
- In this project, cost is subordinate to safety considerations.
- Moral questions are never subordinate to convenience.
学习者例句
- In this job, money is subordinate to job satisfaction.
- Appearance is subordinate to comfort when I buy shoes.
- In this course, tests are subordinate to real projects.
动词
formal
C1
action
4
treat as less important
To give less importance to one thing than to another thing.
用法模式：
to subordinate [something] to [something]
常见错误：
Learners sometimes reverse the pattern and say *"subordinate A with B"* or *"subordinate A under B"*. The standard structure is "subordinate A to B", where A becomes less important than B.
近义词
downgrade (Focuses on lowering status or value, often in official systems, and is less about comparing importance to another thing.)
|
deprioritize (Informal and modern; clearly means to lower the priority of something but is less common in formal writing.)
反义词
prioritize (Means to give something more importance or a higher place in order, the opposite of making it subordinate.)
搭配
subordinate [something] to [something]
|subordinate personal interests
|subordinate individual rights
|subordinate everything to
|subordinate detail to clarity
主题
thinking
|business
|core_vocabulary
|work
例句
- He refuses to subordinate scientific evidence to political pressure.
- We must not subordinate employee safety to profit.
- In her life, family is never subordinated to career ambitions.
- The article subordinates detailed statistics to a clear overall argument.
学习者例句
- We should not subordinate health to work.
- The company subordinated quality to low cost.
- He subordinated his own needs to his children's needs.
adjective
technical
C1
property
5
dependent in a sentence (grammar)
In grammar, describing a clause that needs a main clause and cannot be a full sentence by itself.
用法模式：
subordinate [clause] [conjunction] [sentence element]
常见错误：
Learners often call any long part of a sentence a "subordinate clause". A clause is subordinate only if it has a subject and verb but cannot stand alone as a complete sentence and depends on a main clause.
近义词
dependent (Technical grammar term that is almost interchangeable, but "subordinate" more strongly highlights the unequal relationship with the main clause.)
反义词
independent (In grammar, describes a clause that can stand alone as a sentence, unlike a subordinate clause.)
搭配
subordinate clause
|subordinate sentence
|subordinate element
|subordinate idea
主题
language
|education
|communication
例句
- In the sentence "I left because I was tired," the phrase "because I was tired" is a subordinate clause.
- A subordinate clause must be joined to a main clause to form a complete sentence.
- The book gives many examples of how to use subordinate clauses to add extra information.
学习者例句
- A subordinate clause cannot stand alone.
- In this sentence, the part after "because" is a subordinate clause.
- We learned how to join a subordinate clause to a main clause.
动词
technical
C2
action
6
give a claim lower legal priority
In law or business, to change a debt or claim so that it is paid after another one.
用法模式：
to subordinate [a debt/claim] to [another debt/claim]
常见错误：
Learners may confuse this technical use with the general meaning "to make something less important". In legal and financial texts, it specifically refers to changing the order in which debts or claims are paid.
近义词
postpone (Can describe making repayment happen later, but does not specifically describe formal change in legal priority like "subordinate" does.)
反义词
prioritize (In finance, to give a claim or debt higher priority for repayment, the opposite of subordinating it.)
搭配
subordinate a loan
|subordinate a claim
|subordinate debt
|subordinate a lien
|contract to subordinate
主题
business
|finance
|law
例句
- The lender agreed to subordinate its lien to the new mortgage.
- Investors were warned that their interests would be subordinated to those of senior creditors.
- Under the agreement, the bank subordinated its existing loan to the refinancing package.
学习者例句
- The company subordinated one loan to another loan.
- The bank will not subordinate its claim to a new lender.
- Subordinated debt is paid after other debt.
语法
词典原形
subordinate
IPA
GB/səbˈɔɹdənɪt/
US/səbˈɔɹdənɪt/
音节与重音
sub - or - din - ate （4 个音节）
Stress on 2nd syllable (or)
词形变化
Adjective
- Base: subordinate
Noun
- Base: subordinate
- Plural: subordinates
Verb
- Base: subordinate
- 3rd Person Singular: subordinates
- Present Participle: subordinating
- Past: subordinated
词族
Forms
subordinates
noun
subordinating
verb
subordinated
verb
Core family
subordination
noun
Negative and opposite forms
insubordinate
adjective C1
insubordination
noun C1
Related words
superior
noun B1
相关表达
be subordinate to
1/bˈi səbˈɔɹdənɪt tə/
fixed phrase
have lower rank or status than
To have less power, rank, or importance than someone or something else.
例句
- Regional offices are subordinate to the head office.
- In this structure, all other values are subordinate to safety.
- Junior officers are subordinate to senior officers.
subordinate clause
1/səbˈɔɹdənɪt klˈɔz/
fixed phrase
technical
clause that depends on main clause
A part of a sentence that has a subject and verb but cannot be a full sentence by itself and must join a main clause.
例句
- In the sentence "I stayed home because it was raining," "because it was raining" is a subordinate clause.
- Teachers often ask students to underline the subordinate clause in each sentence.
subordinate debt
1/səbˈɔɹdənɪt dˈɛt/
fixed phrase
technical
loan with lower repayment priority
A loan or debt that will be paid back only after other debts have been paid.
例句
- Because it is subordinate debt, the interest rate is higher to reflect the extra risk.
- In a bankruptcy, holders of subordinate debt may lose all their money.
subordinate legislation
1/səbˈɔɹdənɪt lˌɛd͡ʒɪslˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
law made under main legislation
Rules and laws made by a person or body under powers given by a main law passed by parliament.
例句
- Details of the new system will be set out in subordinate legislation.
- The act gives ministers wide powers to make subordinate legislation.
subordinate role
1/səbˈɔɹdənɪt ɹˈoʊl/
fixed phrase
formal
less important position or function
A job or part that is not the main one and is less important than another job or part.
例句
- In this project, technology plays a subordinate role to social impact.
- He was unhappy with his subordinate role in the decision-making process.