What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Descendant vs Subordinate - What's the difference?

descendant | subordinate |

As adjectives the difference between descendant and subordinate

is that descendant is descending from a biological ancestor while subordinate is placed in a lower class, rank, or position.

As nouns the difference between descendant and subordinate

is that descendant is (literally) one who is the progeny of a specified person, at any distance of time or through any number of generations while subordinate is (senseid)(countable) one who is subordinate.

As a verb subordinate is

to make subservient.

descendant

English

Adjective

(-)
  • descending from a biological ancestor.
  • proceeding from a figurative ancestor or source.
  • Usage notes

    The adjective may be spelled either with ant'' or ''ent'' as the final syllable (see descendent). The noun may be spelled only with ''ant .

    Alternative forms

    * descendent

    Antonyms

    * ascendant, ascendent, ascending

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (literally) One who is the progeny of a specified person, at any distance of time or through any number of generations.
  • ''The patriarch survived many descendants : five children, a dozen grandchildren, even a great grandchild.
  • (figuratively) A thing that derives directly from a given precursor or source.
  • ''This famous medieval manuscript has many descendants .
  • (biology) A later evolutionary type.
  • ''Dogs evolved as descendants of early wolves.
  • (linguistics) A language that is descended from another.
  • English and Scots are the descendants of Old English.
  • (linguistics) A word or form in one language that is descended from a counterpart in an ancestor language.
  • * 1993 , Jens Elmegård Rasmussen, “The Slavic i''-verbs with an excursus on the Indo-European ''?''-verbs”, in Bela Brogyanyi and Reiner Lipp (editors), ''Comparative-Historical Linguistics , John Benjamins Publishing, ISBN 978-90-272-3598-5, page 479:
  • The direct descendant of this form is the Slavic aorist: Sb.-Cr. n?s?'', ''d?nos? .

    Usage notes

    The adjective may be spelled either with ant'' or ''ent'' as the final syllable (see descendent). The noun may be spelled only with ''ant .

    Synonyms

    * * *

    Antonyms

    * ascendant * ancestor * forebear

    Derived terms

    * direct descendant * indirect descendant

    See also

    * offspring * offshoot * progeny ----

    subordinate

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Placed in a lower class, rank, or position.
  • * Woodward
  • The several kinds and subordinate species of each are easily distinguished.
  • Submissive or inferior to, or controlled by, authority.
  • * South
  • It was subordinate , not enslaved, to the understanding.
  • (grammar, of a clause, not comparable) dependent on and either modifying or complementing the main clause
  • In the sentence, “The barbecue finished before John arrived”, the subordinate clause “before John arrived” specifies the time of the main clause, “The barbecue finished”.

    Synonyms

    * lesser * (sense) dependent

    Antonyms

    * superior, superordinate * (Submissive to or controlled by authority) insubordinate * (sense) independent, main

    See also

    * inferior

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (senseid)(countable) One who is subordinate.
  • Synonyms

    * (one who is subordinate) inferior, junior, report, underling, understrapper

    Antonyms

    * (one who is subordinate) boss, commander, leader, manager, superior, supervisor

    Verb

    (subordinat)
  • To make subservient.
  • To treat as of less value or importance.
  • (finance) To make of lower priority in order of payment in bankruptcy.
  • Synonyms

    * (treat as of less value or importance) belittle, denigrate