SUBDUING Synonyms: 212 Similar and Opposite Words

subduing 1 of 3

noun

as in conquest

the act or process of bringing someone or something under one's control the subduing of the wild horse was accomplished by a method reputedly used by Plains Indians

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

subduing

2 of 3

adjective

as in noninflammatory

Related Words

noninflammatory

Dissimilar Words

as in unemotional

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Dissimilar Words

subduing

3 of 3

verb

present participle of subdue

as in defeating

to achieve a victory over subdued her fear of the dark by joining a club for spelunkers

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in conquering

to bring under one's control by force of arms subdued the rebels and sent their leaders to the gallows

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in quelling

to put a stop to (something) by the use of force labored through the night to subdue the river's rising waters by building a wall of sandbags around their property

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of subduing

Adjective

Empowered but often improperly trained Israelis fearful of any Palestinian-looking individual, ended up killing, instead of subduing, attackers, which further inflamed tensions. — Barak Mendelsohn, Foreign Affairs, 25 Aug. 2016

Verb

The school's head teacher, Krzysztof Ochmanski, was injured while subduing the teenager, officials said. — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026 The handful of Israeli passengers grappled with the copilot for several minutes before subduing him and binding his hands with the cord from a set of headphones. — Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026 After subduing the pilot, another crew member entered the cockpit and stabilized the plane. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026 Beer that was fresh, full of flavor and aroma, and hadn’t traveled hundreds of miles or been pasteurized subduing the bright flavors. — Blaine Callahan, Hartford Courant, 7 Sep. 2026 The drones rip through the hallways scanning for a threat before disorienting a suspect using flashing lights and subduing them using pepper balls or by ramming into their body, the company says. — Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026 This means the market makers, often called dealers, are the ones that have to play catch-up, adding to volatility instead of subduing it. — Oliver Renick, CNBC, 23 July 2026 Viewers have already seen glimpses of the premiere, which involves Aang and Katara subduing a sea serpent while guiding refugees across a treacherous path. — Entertainment Weekly, 3 June 2026 Officers then shot her with a Taser, subduing her enough to take her into custody, police said. — City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for subduing

Noun

For decades, the United States favored an international order that forbade wars of conquest, upheld freedom of the seas, maintained a generally open global economy, and allowed populations to exercise democratic rights, even if autocracies remained.

— Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026
Napoleon Bonaparte, having already lost half a million soldiers in Russia, was still an emperor dreaming of new conquests.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of conquest

Adjective

Burgum, 67 years old and known for a casual style and noninflammatory rhetoric, was never a significant presence in the race.

— John McCormick, WSJ, 5 Dec. 2023
What a terrific revelation and opportunity to share the findings with the siblings in a noninflammatory light.

— Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 5 May 2023

Definition of noninflammatory

Adjective

Pragmatic and unemotional, Jung views every situation as a problem to be resolved.

— Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 19 Aug. 2026
However, any moments that would be guaranteed to be grim end up being almost benign, as dead bodies are intact, have strangely unemotional, open-eyed faces, and almost seem like mannequins buried under mud and sand.

— Matt Gardner, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of unemotional

Verb

Republican Bo French, who previously chaired the Tarrant County GOP, faces Democrat Jon Rosenthal after defeating incumbent Jim Wright in a May Republican primary runoff for the state agency that regulates Texas’ oil and gas industry.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Oct. 2026
There’s nothing more important than defeating his pathetic opponent, Mike Collins.

— NBC news, NBC news, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of defeating

Verb

Before conquering Hollywood, Ali played Division I basketball (standing at six feet four) and released rap albums under the name Prince Ali.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
During the talk, Bardem reflected on a glittering career, from his early life growing up in one of Spain’s most prestigious acting families to winning an Oscar and, this year, finally conquering his fear of the stage.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of conquering

Verb

There is something instructive in the agent concluding a diatribe on quelling revolutionary violence with a note about feeling inspired.

— Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
The break with Callaway was the first sign that Good Good’s attempts at quelling the crisis were not going well after Clark’s statement on social media Wednesday night.

— Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of quelling

Noun

The mood at practice Monday morning was upbeat after such a dominating performance versus Middle Tennessee.

— Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2026
Florida is one of the best teams in the country and is coming off an absolutely dominating performance against a fellow top-10 team.

— OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of dominating

Adjective

Audio performance is satisfying but unimpressive, which is again typical.

— Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026
Although their first two games have been relatively unimpressive, their defense finally showed up in the second half against the Jets.

— Hank Gola, New York Daily News, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of unimpressive

Browse Nearby Words

subdues

subduing

subdwarf

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Style

“Subduing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subduing. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of subduing

noun

adjective

verb

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