An associate worker who functions at the direction of those exercising authority: The police commander told his subordinate to guard the door of the bank during the investigation of the robbery.

1. Descriptive of someone who is in a position or rank that has less power or authority than another person: All subordinate military personnel are required to salute their superior officers.
2. Less important than something or someone else: In some places, the welfare of the workers is often of subordinate concerns as related to their supervisors or owners of the companies. © ALL rights are reserved.

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To grade, to rank, or to place something or someone in a less important position than others: In some educational systems; because of financial shortages, the emphasis is on science, math, or other academic subjects; so, some school officials feel compelled to subordinate art, music, sports, etc. as extra curricular activities.