English Reference
Adjective

subservient

adj.
C1 Advanced US /səbˈsɝviənt/ UK /sʌbsˈɜːviənt/ sub·servient

adj.behaving in a way that shows you are very willing to obey or help someone else. It describes someone who does not act independently and instead follows orders.

adj.characterised by a willingness to obey or serve others; lacking independence. Often used to describe a person's attitude toward a superior or a system.


SIMPLE

He was very subservient to his boss's every request.

CONTEXTUAL

The assistant was so subservient that she never offered her own opinions during the meeting.

COMPLEX

The novel explores the psychological toll of a subservient personality in a hierarchical society where individual agency is systematically suppressed by institutional power.

For some Muslim intellectuals and travelers, Japan’s modernization and its victory over Russia was proof that Asian nations need not be subservient to Europe or abandon their own cultural traditions.

The Conversation· 11 Aug 2026

We decline to think like machines or be subservient to machines.

ScienceDaily· 14 Jul 2026

From Latin subserviens, present active of subservio (“to serve under”).

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

This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated