Meaning & use
subaltern
A military officer holding a rank below captain, such as a lieutenant or second lieutenant.
See it in a sentence
The young subaltern led his first patrol just weeks after finishing officer training.
Letters from the subaltern described the harsh conditions of trench warfare in vivid detail.
A note on using this word
Chiefly used in British and Commonwealth military contexts; it also appears in academic writing about socially subordinate groups.
Words with a similar meaning
junior officer
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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