Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

subdued

/səbˈdud/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.37 in modern English

Syllables: sub-dued
IPA: /səbˈdud/

11

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Conquered; overpowered; crushed; submissive.

adj

Not glaring in color; soft and light in tone.

adj

Reduced in intensity or strength; toned down.

verb

simple past and past participle of subdue

Example Sentences

"He is subdued after the disagreement last night."
"I pray you in your Letters, / When you ſhall theſe vnluckie deeds relate, / Speake of me, as I am. […] / Of one, whoſe ſubdu'd Eyes, / Albeit un-vsed to the melting moode, / Drops teares as faſt as the Arabian Trees / Their Medicinable gumme."
"The colour scheme used for this room is subdued."
"He subdued the dog yesterday."

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /səbˈdud/
British English: /səbˈdjuːd/

Inflected Forms

more subdued (comparative) most subdued (superlative) subdood (alternative)

Derived Forms

subduedly subduedness unsubdued

Synonyms

dim soft hushed muted quiet low-key low-keyed

Rhymes With

food include non-food you'd dude mood viewed rude reviewed renewed crude nude

Questions

How do you pronounce subdued?: The recorded pronunciation is /səbˈdud/.
What does subdued mean?: Conquered; overpowered; crushed; submissive.

How to pronounce subdued

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “subdued”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/səbˈdud/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “subdued”.
Repeat and practice — Say “subdued” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.