subdued
sub·dued/səbˈdud/adjective, verb
subdued is spelled S-U-B-D-U-E-D: 7 letters and 2 syllables (sub·dued). It appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, subdued means “Conquered; overpowered; crushed; submissive” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in subdued?
| Letters | 7: S-U-B-D-U-E-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: sub·dued |
| In writing | 2.3 times per million words; the 17,813th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is subdued?
Subdued appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce subdued?
- US /səbˈdud/
- UK /səbˈdjuːd/
Subdued has 2 syllables, split sub·dued in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-subdued.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with subdued?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as subdued from its last stressed vowel (/ud/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of subdued
- more subdued comparative
- most subdued superlative
- subdood
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does subdued mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Conquered; overpowered; crushed; submissive.
He is subdued after the disagreement last night.
- 2
Not glaring in color; soft and light in tone.
The colour scheme used for this room is subdued.
- 3
Reduced in intensity or strength; toned down.
verb
- 1
simple past and past participle of subdue
He subdued the dog yesterday.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Subdued in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Conquered; overpowered; crushed; submissive; mild:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | gedämpft, bedrückt, gehorsam, kleinlaut, matt, verhalten |
| Spanish | apagado, sometido, doblegado, domeñado, debelado, sojuzgado |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.