English Reference

Word

subject

Phoneticssub·ject

/ˈsəbdʒɪkt/

Definitions

01topic

A2

n. the thing you are talking, writing, or thinking about.

n. the main theme or topic of a conversation, book, or work of art.

“The subject of the meeting was the new office budget.”

“The documentary explores a difficult subject with great sensitivity, focusing on the lives of families displaced by the recent floods.”

Synonyms

02field of study

A2

n. an area of knowledge that you study at school or university.

n. a branch of knowledge or an academic discipline studied in an educational institution.

“Math was always my favorite subject when I was in high school.”

“Students are encouraged to choose at least one science subject to ensure a well-rounded academic foundation before they specialise.”

04research participant

B2 · Science

n. a person or animal that is being studied in an experiment.

n. an individual or entity that is the focus of medical, psychological, or scientific testing.

“The subjects in the sleep study were asked to keep a daily journal.”

“Researchers monitored the subjects for six months to determine if the new medication had any long-term side effects on blood pressure.”

Academic

Synonyms

05citizen of a monarchy

B2

n. a person who lives in a country ruled by a king or queen.

n. a person who resides in a state and owes allegiance to a monarch or sovereign power.

“The king addressed his subjects from the balcony of the palace.”

“As a British subject living abroad, he was still entitled to certain protections from the embassy during the crisis.”

Formal

Synonyms

Antonyms

06to force an experience

B2

v. to make someone experience something unpleasant.

v. to cause someone or something to undergo a specific, usually negative, experience or treatment.

“The prisoners were subjected to very cold temperatures during the night.”

“The new aircraft wing was subjected to extreme pressure in the laboratory to ensure it would not fail during a storm.”

Usage

Takes the preposition 'to' followed by a noun.

Synonyms

Antonyms

07depending on

B2

adj. only happening if something else happens first.

adj. conditional upon or depending on something else.

“The outdoor party is subject to the weather being good on Saturday.”

“The sale of the property is subject to a final building inspection and the approval of the bank loan.”

Formal

Usage

Followed by the preposition 'to'.

08likely to experience

B2

adj. likely to be affected by something, usually something bad.

adj. having a tendency to be affected by or to experience something unpleasant.

“This area is subject to flooding during the heavy rain in winter.”

“Flights in this region are often subject to delays because of the unpredictable mountain fog.”

Usage

Followed by the preposition 'to'.

Antonyms

Real-World Examples

“Pilots at the airline's budget arm, Air India Express, will also be subject to the tests from Thursday.”
BBC News · 13 Aug 2026
“There are very few studies on the subject.”
The Guardian · 14 Aug 2026
“Death changes the relationship between the writer and his subject.”
The Guardian · 10 Aug 2026

Etymology

From Middle English subget, from Old French suget, from Latin subiectus (“lying under or near, adjacent, also subject, exposed”), as a noun, subiectus (“a subject, an inferior”), subiectum (“the subject of a proposition”), past participle of subiciō (“throw, lay, place”), from sub (“under, at the foot of”) + iaciō (“throw, hurl”), as a calque of Ancient Greek ὑποκείμενον (hupokeímenon).

From Latin subiectus (“a subject, an inferior”), subiectum (“the subject of a proposition”), past participle of subiciō (“throw, lay, place”), from sub (“under, at the foot of”) + iaciō (“throw, hurl”).

From Medieval Latin subiectō, iterative of subiciō (“throw, lay, place”), from sub (“under, at the foot of”) + iaciō (“throw, hurl”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Collocations

subject mattersubject to the finalizationsubject of onesubjected to a campaignsubjects allowinghuman subjectsubject homogeneoussubject receive

Word family

subjectNounsubjectiveAdjective

Related words

Domains

GrammarLogicMathematicsMusicPhilosophy

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Very common
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference