How to Use subdued in a Sentence

subdued

adjective
  • The color in the lobby is subdued.
  • She spoke in a subdued voice.
  • The pike seemed subdued and ready to come aboard.
    — Ben East, Outdoor Life, 28 Aug. 2025
  • But, Wells has been more subdued.
    — ABC News, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Our second club gig was much more subdued.
    — Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
  • On the women’s side, the chaos has been even more subdued.
    — Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 23 Mar. 2026
  • Other events were more subdued.
    — Dallas Morning News, 1 Jan. 2026
  • Others are more subdued and simply move from place to place each day.
    — Katie Bowlby, Country Living, 16 Dec. 2020
  • But his acceptance speech is more subdued than his look for the evening.
    — Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2022
  • Keyes found an equally subdued scene in Spain, with no lines or crowds.
    — Washington Post, 2 July 2021
  • The staff morale is very subdued, and no one talks to anyone about anything.
    — Roxane Gay, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2021
  • For a more subdued columbine, look to the ‘pink lantern’ varietal.
    — Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 26 Apr. 2026
  • Keep it all in balance with a more subdued top and shoes, with a bag that has just a hint of shimmer.
    — Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, 17 Dec. 2018
  • The subdued look was hand-crafted, and took over 300 hour to make.
    — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Chelsea have been through so much change over the last three years that a more subdued window may not be such a bad thing.
    — Simon Johnson, The Athletic, 6 Feb. 2025
  • Was kind of very, very calm, very subdued, but was going to be terrible at that job.
    — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2024
  • The strip is more subdued than some others, with the lights hidden behind a thin opaque strip.
    — Katie Melynn, Peoplemag, 13 Dec. 2022
  • In subdued earth tones and airy constructions, men’s looks for striking out on your own.
    — New York Times, 27 Feb. 2018
  • This one has a similar albeit more subdued vibe at a fraction of the cost.
    — Diana Tsui, The Cut, 5 July 2017
  • The liquid metal look is a more subdued way to embrace the chunky earring trend.
    — Anika Ljung, WWD, 4 Sep. 2024
  • Try a strong punch of your favorite color to add interest to a subdued space.
    — Zoe Gowen, Southern Living, 29 Dec. 2025
  • Their father, 48, opted for a more subdued look.
    — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 13 Nov. 2025
  • Forward the men could be dimly seen massed in the gloom and conversing in subdued tones.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 July 2021
  • The seats were less packed and the atmosphere was more subdued than the previous evening.
    — Howard Fendrich, ajc, 24 Sep. 2022
  • In all of this, the crown sits on the head of a kindly, subdued man, undervalued all his life.
    — Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, 11 Sep. 2022
  • Economists see an uptick in hiring, though still at a subdued level.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2025
  • This time, the matchup was more subdued in the game played in the void of fans, amid the new coronavirus pandemic.
    — Ira Winderman, sun-sentinel.com, 10 Aug. 2020
  • Instead of buying new knobs, Pinkston bought a can of copper paint to give her pulls a more subdued look.
    — Lauren Smith, House Beautiful, 14 Sep. 2015
  • The Blackpink star just gave the season's hottest shade, black cherry, a swipe—but with a subdued twist.
    — Ranyechi Udemezue, Vogue, 10 Oct. 2024
  • But Joseph Smith was looking out for my weary fingers, and the whole thing turns out damn near subdued.
    — Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'subdued.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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