subservient
adjective, noun
subservient is spelled S-U-B-S-E-R-V-I-E-N-T: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,748th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, subservient means “Useful in an inferior capacity” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in subservient?
| Letters | 11: S-U-B-S-E-R-V-I-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 35,748th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is subservient?
Subservient appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,748th 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 subservient?
- US
Subservient has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-subservient.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of subservient
- more subservient comparative
- most subservient superlative
- subservients plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does subservient mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Useful in an inferior capacity.
- 2
Obsequiously submissive.
noun
- 1
A person who is subservient to another; a subordinate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Subservient in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | subordinado , servil |
| French | servile |
| German | lakaienhaft, servil, untertänig |
| Portuguese | subserviente |
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.
Where does subservient come from?
From Latin subserviens, present active of subservio (“to serve under”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).