subordinated

[ suh-bawr-dn-ey-tid ]

adjective

1. made secondary or subservient:

   Most college programs are geared to those aged 18 to 24, leaving others in a subordinated position in the system.

   She refused to settle for a subordinated life as an “office lady,” making copies and coffee for male coworkers and superiors.

2. Finance. being or relating to a debt whose holder is ranked below secured and general creditors with respect to priority of payment:

   Typically, in liquidation, subordinated debentures come after short-term debt.

Other Words From

• un·sub·or·di·nat·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of subordinated¹

First recorded in 1640–50 subordinated fordef 1; 1920–25 subordinated fordef 2; subordinate ( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

“In drawing these districts, the Florida Legislature subordinated traditional redistricting criteria and state constitutional requirements to race without narrowly tailoring the district lines to advance a compelling government interest,” the lawsuit said.

From Seattle Times

The bank is issuing A$550 million worth of subordinated fixed to floating rate securities and A$700 million worth of subordinated floating rate securities, both due in a decade.

From Reuters

“Over the last years, different institutional safeguards have been either demolished or politically subordinated to the interest of the ruling party,” Bodnar said.

From Seattle Times

“The sovereignty of states must be subordinated to international law and international institutions,” he wrote in his 1998 game plan, “The Crisis of Global Capitalism.”

From Washington Times

Nevertheless, with the war stagnating, he was subordinated to Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov in January, staying on as one of Gerasimov's three deputies in charge of the war effort in Ukraine.

From Reuters