Synonyms of subdue

37 similar words

Another word for subdue is limit. Other synonyms of subdue are check, suppress, quell, repress and underbring.

Synonyms and similar words for subdue

restrain
stifleTo keep in, hold back, or repress (something).
underbringTo bring under subjection or control.
behedgeTo straiten; restrict; constrain; limit.
guard
govern formal
smother
bind figurativelyTo confine, restrain, or hold by physical force or influence of any kind.
chasten
choke backTo hold back or suppress (an emotion, expression of emotion, or utterance), with difficulty.
checkTo control, limit, or halt.
inhibit
catch
contain
vanquishTo defeat (someone); to overcome.
cork figuratively
curb
quench
quellTo subdue, put down, or silence (someone or something); to force (someone) to submit.
bury
curtail
dampen
hamshackle figurativelyTo bind or restrain; to impose restrictions upon.
hold back
hold downTo restrain; to check.
limitTo restrict; to circumscribe; not to allow to go beyond a certain bound, to set boundaries.
repressTo forcefully prevent an upheaval from developing further.
restrict
shackle figuratively
stay
stop
straiten
suppressTo restrain or repress, such as laughter or an expression.
throttle figuratively
withhold
withstrain archaicTo restrain.

What is another word for subdue?: Subdue has 37 synonyms on Word.ws, such as limit, check, suppress, quell, repress, underbring, vanquish and stop.
What does subdue mean?: Subdue means to overcome, quieten, or bring under control.

Adapted from Wiktionary: subdue (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “Synonyms of subdue.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/subdue. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.