subservient

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adjective

Useful in an inferior capacity.

Similar
subordinateimplementalinstrumentalhelpfulslavishsubmissiveservile
OriginLatin subserviens ← Proto-Italic *serwiō ← Proto-Indo-European *serweyéti →
UncommonScrabble 16
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Meanings

adjectivesubservient (comparative more subservient, superlative most subservient)

comparative more subservient · superlative most subservient

  1. Useful in an inferior capacity.
  2. Obsequiously submissive.

    Sansa takes her place as ruler of the North, a free and independent land no longer subservient to anywhere else. And Arya does what she’s always done best: Make her own way, literally leaving everything she knows behind to see what’s over the next horizon.

    2019 May 19, Alex McLevy, “The final Game Of Thrones brings a pensive but simple meditation about stories (newbies)”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 22 May 2019
nounsubservient (plural subservients)

plural subservients

  1. A person who is subservient to another; a subordinate.

    James Harrison, the tenant, was one of his subservients, chosen by him in consequence of his austere piety, and great influence with his sect […]

    1852, Mary Jane Windle, A Legend of the Waldenses: And Other Tales, page 176

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivecompliant and obedient to authority

Similar
subordinate

adjectiveserving or acting as a means or aid

Similar
implementalinstrumentalhelpful

adjectiveabjectly submissive; characteristic of a slave or servant

Similar
slavishsubmissiveservile
Also see
accessoryimplementalinstrumentalmanageablesequaciousservileslavishsubmissivesubordinate

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*upó
  2. Proto-Italic*supo
  3. Latinsub
  4. Latinsub-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*ser-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*serwos
  7. Proto-Indo-European*serweyéti
  8. Proto-Italic*serwijeti
  9. Proto-Italic*serwijit
  10. Proto-Italic*serwiō
  11. Latinservio
  12. Latinsubserviō
  13. Latinsubserviens
  14. Englishsubservient

From Latin subserviens, present active of subservio (“to serve under”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian съдействащ, помощен
  • съдействащ (sădejstvašt)useful in an inferior capacity
  • помощен (pomošten)useful in an inferior capacity
  • раболепен (rabolepen)obsequiously submissive
Chinese Mandarin 次要的, 次要
  • 次要的 (cìyàode)useful in an inferior capacity
  • 次要 (cìyào)useful in an inferior capacity
  • 恭顺 (gōngshùn)obsequiously submissive
Czech podřízený, servilní
  • podřízenýuseful in an inferior capacity
  • servilníobsequiously submissive
  • poslušnýobsequiously submissive
  • posluhujícíobsequiously submissive
Dutch serviel, onderdanig
  • servielobsequiously submissive
  • onderdanigobsequiously submissive
Finnish alamainen, nöyristelevä
  • alamainenuseful in an inferior capacity
  • nöyristeleväobsequiously submissive
  • alamainenobsequiously submissive
French servile
  • servileobsequiously submissive
German lakaienhaft, servil
  • lakaienhaftobsequiously submissive
  • servilobsequiously submissive
  • untertänigobsequiously submissive
Hindi पराधीन
  • पराधीन (parādhīn)obsequiously submissive
Irish spleách
  • spleáchobsequiously submissive
Portuguese subserviente
  • subservienteobsequiously submissive
Russian раболепный
  • раболепный (rabolepnyj)obsequiously submissive
Spanish subordinado, servil
  • subordinadouseful in an inferior capacity
  • servilobsequiously submissive
Cite this entry
APA

subservient. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subservient

MLA

“subservient.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subservient. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “subservient,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subservient.

Source: subservient on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.