subjected

American  

[suhb-jek-tid] / səbˈdʒɛk tɪd /

adjective

1. under the control or rule of another person, government, country, etc..

   On becoming King of all Ireland, Brian was given the name Boru, or “Brian of the Tribes,” and he collected tributes from all the subjected clans.

2. exposed to or undergoing something by necessity.

   I choose to sing only when I'm alone, because I am generally so off-key that any subjected listeners will ask me to immediately cease and desist.

3. involved in or undergoing a medical, surgical, or psychological treatment or experiment: .

   The subjected children were 383 boys and 378 girls, all between five and seven years of age.

   After receiving the gene editing treatment, the subjected mice were less likely to seek out cocaine

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of subject.

Other Word Forms

• nonsubjected adjective
• subjectedly adverb
• subjectedness noun
• unsubjected adjective

Etymology

Origin of subjected

First recorded in 1400–50; subject ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; subject ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

She was first subjected to an ego-bruising round of media speculation that this was coming, rumors egged on by anonymous White House sources.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

Again, not a word about the coercive therapeutic context in which vulnerable minors will be subjected to those “ideas” and pressed to implement them.

From Slate • Apr. 3, 2026

So the team subjected the capsule to vibrations in the lab to ensure everything would still work after that kind of extreme shaking.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

You're subjected to an unwritten contract, where blind devotion is exchanged for intermittent moments of joy - and large amounts of heartache and pain.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

You will be subjected in the place of your teaching to an oral examination of general knowledge.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck