as in to subdue
to bring under one's control by force of arms
explorers who subjugated the natives in the name of religion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in conquest
the act or process of bringing someone or something under one's control
the subjugation of much of Europe by Napoléon
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of subjugate
Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2026
There’s her creative director, Celeste (filmmaker/actress Hailey Benton Gates), Charli’s friend and the only one with a foot in reality, but with no other purpose in life but to subjugate herself to her employer.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026
Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 23 Jan. 2026
By the closing epilogue of the MM romance novel, the author must figure out how to create honest stakes for a gay couple in an overwhelmingly heteronormative context that threatens the heroes with societal subjugation and maybe even physical punishment.
—Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subjugate
Verb
It’s subjugated to a larger sense of what’s called the universal destination of all goods.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2026
There’s her creative director, Celeste (filmmaker/actress Hailey Benton Gates), Charli’s friend and the only one with a foot in reality, but with no other purpose in life but to subjugate herself to her employer.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026
Noun
America is rooted in the rejection of arbitrary power and the subjugation of the individual to the state.
—Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 23 Jan. 2026
By the closing epilogue of the MM romance novel, the author must figure out how to create honest stakes for a gay couple in an overwhelmingly heteronormative context that threatens the heroes with societal subjugation and maybe even physical punishment.
—Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subjugate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subjugate
Verb
-
Betts subdued the momentum with a block on Booker’s layup attempt with 20 seconds left, and Rice then made two free throws, sending Close’s crew into the title game.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
4 Apr. 2026
-
There, the pioneers—practical, inventive, restless, exuberant white men—clashed with Indigenous peoples, subduing them and a wilderness filled with wild animals and abundant natural resources.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
For Israel, which had to vacate its Sinai conquest in 1956, there are parallels, too.—
Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Its latest chart conquest comes after the group — Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — completed mandatory military service.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
While there’s little need to leave for dining, with the three on-site options easily dominating a weekend stay, nearby venues like Locanda Verde and Cafe Atelier could easily sub for the room service and free in-room Nespresso machines.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 Apr. 2026
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Posing in a new campaign for Miu Miu's 2026 leather goods, Hadid complemented her playful new pixie with bright, block colors that also echoed the primary hues that dominated 1960s fashion and film.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Since dark energy rose to domination, however, the opposite is true.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Us senior surfers need to stick together to hold off the hordes of nasty agro kidbots that are violently intent on world domination and the spread of nuclear surf rabies and mad Red Bull disease.—
Corky Carroll,
Oc Register,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Over the centuries, it would be conquered by empires of varying beliefs.—
Seth Doane,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Discipline, toughness, perfect technique, a nutty compulsion to conquer the world’s most inhospitable bodies of water?—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
No double-digit lead is safe because anyone can go on a dominating run, as Michigan and UConn both did on Sunday.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
After spending last season dominating in South Korea and the three prior seasons in Japan, Ponce earned his way back to Major League Baseball this offseason with the defending American League champions, who gave him a $30 million contract over the next three years.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act will subject nearly 55,000 Vermont Medicaid recipients to work requirements – about a third of the state's enrollees.—
Samantha Liss,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Is such an existential shriek into the abyss, all while living in a society suffused by mind-numbing grief and nationalism, worth subjecting yourself to?—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In his March Madness brackets, Obama has the Arizona Wildcats men defeating the Duke Blue Devils (who have already been upset) and UConn's women's team winning it all.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
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The Wolverines defeated the Mustangs in state semis last year and in 2021 and 2025 and won state title games against Grapevine in 2018 and 2022.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subjugate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subjugate. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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