Definition of SUBJECT

subject

Plural: subjects

Noun

  • the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
    • "he didn't want to discuss that subject"
  • something (a person or object or scene) selected by an artist or photographer for graphic representation
    • "a moving picture of a train is more dramatic than a still picture of the same subject"
  • a branch of knowledge
    • "teachers should be well trained in their subject"
  • some situation or event that is thought about
    • "he had been thinking about the subject for several years"
  • (grammar) one of the two main constituents of a sentence; the grammatical constituent about which something is predicated
  • a person who is subjected to experimental or other observational procedures; someone who is an object of investigation
    • "the subjects for this investigation were selected randomly"
  • a person who owes allegiance to that nation
    • "a monarch has a duty to his subjects"
  • (logic) the first term of a proposition
  • The noun, pronoun or noun phrase about whom the statement is made. In active clauses with verbs denoting an action, the subject is the actor. In clauses in the passive voice the subject is the target of the action.
  • By faulty generalisation from a clause's grammatical subject often being coinstantiated with one: an actor or agent; one who takes action.
  • The main topic of a paper, work of art, discussion, field of study, etc.
  • A particular area of study.
  • A citizen in a monarchy.
  • A person ruled over by another, especially a monarch or state authority.
  • The main theme or melody, especially in a fugue.
  • A human, animal, or an inanimate object that is being examined, treated, analysed, etc; especially, one being studied in a scientific experiment, such as a clinical trial.
  • A being that has subjective experiences, subjective consciousness, or a relationship with another entity.
  • That of which something is stated.
  • The variable in terms of which an expression is defined.

Verb

Verb Forms: subjected, subjecting, subjects

  • To cause or force someone or something to experience something.
  • cause to experience or suffer or make liable or vulnerable to
    • "He subjected me to his awful poetry"
    • "The sergeant subjected the new recruits to many drills"
    • "People in Chernobyl were subjected to radiation"
  • make accountable for
    • "He did not want to subject himself to the judgments of his superiors"
  • make subservient; force to submit or subdue
  • refer for judgment or consideration
  • To cause (someone or something) to undergo a particular experience, especially one that is unpleasant or unwanted.
  • To make subordinate or subservient; to subdue or enslave.

Adjective Satellite

  • possibly accepting or permitting
    • "the time is fixed by the director and players and therefore subject to much variation"
  • being under the power or sovereignty of another or others
    • "subject peoples"
  • likely to be affected by something
    • "the bond is subject to taxation"
    • "he is subject to fits of depression"

Adj

  • Likely to be affected by or to experience something; liable.
  • Conditional upon something; used with to.
  • Placed or situated under; lying below, or in a lower situation.
  • Placed under the power of another; owing allegiance to a particular sovereign or state.

Examples

  • a country subject to extreme heat
  • animal subjects
  • He decided to SUBJECT his opponent to a barrage of high-scoring words.
  • He's subject to sneezing fits.
  • Her favorite subject is physics.
  • human subject research
  • I am a British subject.
  • I came here to buy souvenirs, not to be subjected to a tirade of abuse!
  • In the active sentence ‘The cat ate the mouse’, ‘the cat’ is the subject and ‘the mouse’ is the object.
  • In the passive sentence ‘the mouse was eaten by the cat’, ‘the mouse’ is the subject even though it is the target (patient) of the action, and ‘the cat’ is the agent.
  • Making x the subject of x² − 6x + 3y = 0, we have x = 3 ± √(9 − 3y).
  • Menu listings and prices are subject to change.
  • The local board sets local policy, subject to approval from the State Board.
  • the subjects and objects of power

Origin / 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).

Synonyms

bailiwick, capable, case, content, dependent, depicted object, discipline, field, field of study, guinea pig, issue, matter, national, open, study, subject area, subject field, subjugate, submit, theme, topic, underbring

Antonyms

;, object, predicate

Scrabble Score: 18

subject: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
subject: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
subject: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 23

subject: valid Words With Friends Word