subjunctive
subjunctive Lexical Profile
subjunctive Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Relating to or designating a grammatical mood of verbs used to express wishes, hypothetical situations, possibilities, or actions that have not yet occurred.
"In formal English, a subjunctive verb form is required after verbs of demand or recommendation."
• noun
The grammatical mood that expresses doubt, wishes, hypothetical conditions, or non-factual states of affairs, or a specific verb form in this mood.
"Students learning Spanish or French spend considerable time mastering the nuances of the subjunctive."
Word Nuance & Usage
In contemporary English, the subjunctive mood is increasingly restricted to formal writing and fixed idiomatic expressions (such as 'be that as it may' or 'if I were you'), with everyday speech often substituting the indicative or modal verbs.
• Rhymes for subjunctive
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 16th century from Middle French subjonctif or directly from Late Latin subiunctivus ('serving to join, subordinate'), derived from Latin subiungere ('to join beneath, subordinate'), a loan translation of Ancient Greek hypotaktikos.