subdued

[ suhb-dood, -dyood ]
See synonyms for subdued on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. quiet; inhibited; repressed; controlled: After the argument he was much more subdued.

  2. lowered in intensity or strength; reduced in fullness of tone, as a color or voice; muted: subdued light; wallpaper in subdued greens.

  1. (of land) not marked by any striking features, as mountains or cliffs: a subdued landscape.

Origin of subdued

1
First recorded in 1595–1605; subdue + -ed2

Other words from subdued

  • sub·dued·ly, adverb
  • sub·dued·ness, noun
  • half-sub·dued, adjective
  • self-sub·dued, adjective
  • un·sub·dued, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use subdued in a sentence

  • Joan regarded the little thing with a look of half-subdued pride.

    That Lass O' Lowrie's | Frances Hodgson Burnett
  • Half-subdued Indians abounded, wrapped in their blankets, and decked with beads and feathers.

    Ocean to Ocean on Horseback | Willard Glazier
  • Presently they could hear his voice and Emmy Costivan's blent in half-subdued laughter.

  • "I won't open her eyes," said Charlie, with a laugh that was half subdued.

    Jimmy Quixote | Tom Gallon
  • When Assyria finally emerged from the deadly struggle, Egypt was lost to it for ever, and Babylonia was but half subdued.

    Assyria, Its Princes, Priests and People | A. H. (Archibald Henry) Sayce

British Dictionary definitions for subdued

subdued

/ (səbˈdjuːd) /


adjective
  1. cowed, passive, or shy

  2. gentle or quiet: a subdued whisper

  1. (of colours, etc) not harsh or bright: subdued lighting

Derived forms of subdued

  • subduedly, adverb
  • subduedness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012