subservientsub‧ser‧vi‧ent /səbˈsɜːviənt $ -ˈsɜːr-/ adjective 
Don remained entirely subservient to his father.subservient role/position His wife refused to accept a traditional subservient role.2formal less important than something else SYN subordinatesubservient to the rights of the individual are made subservient to the interests of the state—subserviently adverb—subservience noun [uncountable]
WORD ORIGINsubservient
Origin:
1600-1700 Latin present participle of subservire ‘to serve, be subservient’, from servire ‘to serve’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- The waiter had an excessively subservient manner that made us very uncomfortable.
- What she hated about being a nurse was having to be so subservient to doctors.
- Away from the staff, the subservient prisoner will say what he really thinks.
- But as I have shown, the function of grammar depends upon its being subservient to lexis.
- I have yet to hear of any document that says that people are subservient to the government.
- Indeed she is such a kind and caring person that colleagues have questioned whether she is sometimes too subservient to her officials.
- That is not to say that Parliament was subservient.
- The truly subservient prisoner is respected by no-one, staff or inmates.
- Then we were off and running with subfreezing temperatures, submerging boats in the water, subservient, subterranean.
- This makes them subservient to a moral objective which may be unattainable.
Longman Language Activatortoo willing to do what you are told to do
always willing to do what someone tells you to do even if it is unpleasant or they ask you in an unpleasant way: · My father was a violent, demanding man, who expected my mother to be completely submissive.· If you constantly try to make someone happy, you end up becoming submissive, saying yes when you don't really mean it.
informal someone who always agrees with and obeys their employer or leader etc: · It's no good applying for a job with him unless you're happy being a yes-man.· She packed the committees with yes-men and then did just what she liked.
obeying someone too eagerly and showing them too much respect: · The driver asked in a servile tone for more instructions.· He was young and hard-working, though annoyingly servile.
someone who is subservient is always willing to do what people tell them to do and behaves as if they expect to be told what to do: · The waiter had an excessively subservient manner that made us very uncomfortable.subservient to: · What she hated about being a nurse was having to be so subservient to doctors.
: slavish obedience/compliance/conformity etc obeying much too easily without thinking or asking questions: · The women's slavish obedience disgusted me.· He was able to manipulate their slavish willingness to serve in the name of patriotism.
too obedient because you are used to obeying people or because you are afraid not to obey: · It's depressing to see an intelligent, spirited young woman like her turning into a meek and compliant wife.· Patients who are less compliant may be forced to take medication against their will.
when someone does whatever someone else tells them to do, without thinking for themselves about whether it is right or wrong: · With blind obedience, I allowed Victor to organize my life.
someone who is always too willing to do what someone else, especially someone in authority, tells them to do, even when this is wrong: · Many employees regarded Human Resources staff as little more than management lackeys.· Some poeple in the UK were worried that their country might be regarded as simply being a lackey of the US.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY His wife refused to accept a traditional subservient role.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN
1always obeying another person and doing everything they want you to do – used when someone seems too weak and powerlesssubservient to His wife refused to accept a traditional subservient role.· Another is of women always taking the more subservient roles in home and work situations.· After marriage, she has no wish to leave him but, as his wife, can not accept her subservient role.· That support should not maintain institutions in a client or subservient role.· Both exhibitions are primarily to do with art, with scholarship playing a subservient role.
Don remained entirely subservient to his father.subservient role/position His wife refused to accept a traditional subservient role.2formal less important than something else SYN subordinatesubservient to the rights of the individual are made subservient to the interests of the state—subserviently adverb—subservience noun [uncountable]