subdue

[ suhb-doo, -dyoo ]
See synonyms for subdue on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),sub·dued, sub·du·ing.
  1. to conquer and bring into subjection: Rome subdued Gaul.

  2. to overpower by superior force; overcome.

  1. to bring under mental or emotional control, as by persuasion or intimidation; render submissive.

  2. to repress (feelings, impulses, etc.).

  3. to bring (land) under cultivation: to subdue the wilderness.

  4. to reduce the intensity, force, or vividness of (sound, light, color, etc.); tone down; soften.

  5. to allay (inflammation, infection, etc.).

Origin of subdue

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English so(b)duen, so(b)dewen, from unattested Anglo-French soduer “to overcome,” from Old French soduire “to deceive, seduce,” from Latin subdūcere “to withdraw”; meaning in English (and Anglo-French ) from Latin subdere “to place beneath, subdue”; see subduct

synonym study For subdue

1. See defeat.

Other words for subdue

Opposites for subdue

Other words from subdue

  • sub·du·a·ble, adjective
  • sub·du·a·ble·ness, noun
  • sub·du·a·bly, adverb
  • sub·du·er, noun
  • sub·du·ing·ly, adverb
  • pre·sub·due, verb (used with object), pre·sub·dued, pre·sub·du·ing.
  • un·sub·du·a·ble, adjective

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

British Dictionary definitions for subdue

subdue

/ (səbˈdjuː) /


verb-dues, -duing or -dued (tr)
  1. to establish ascendancy over by force

  2. to overcome and bring under control, as by intimidation or persuasion

  1. to hold in check or repress (feelings, emotions, etc)

  2. to render less intense or less conspicuous

Origin of subdue

1
C14 sobdue, from Old French soduire to mislead, from Latin subdūcere to remove; English sense influenced by Latin subdere to subject

Derived forms of subdue

  • subduable, adjective
  • subduably, adverb
  • subdual, 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