adj

subservient

adj

Excessively willing to obey or serve others, often to an unhealthy degree.

"He was criticized for being subservient to his boss's every whim."

Serving a secondary or supporting purpose to something else.

"In this arrangement, personal interests are subservient to the group's goals."

How to Use Subservient

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishBeing overly obedient, or existing to support something more important.

Common pairings

subservient to blindly subservient

more subservient comparative, subservients plural, most subservient superlative

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He was criticized for being _____ to his boss's every whim.

From Latin subserviens, present participle of subservio, "to serve under."

orient ancient patient salient ambient lenient obedient nutrient gradient sentient impatient transient