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Definition of "subjunctive" [sub•junc•tive]

  • Of, relating to, or being a mood of a verb used in some languages for contingent or hypothetical action, action viewed subjectively, or grammatically subordinate statements. (adjective)
  • The subjunctive mood. (noun)
  • A subjunctive construction. See Usage Note at if. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "subjunctive" in a sentence
  • "Can you explain to me what the term subjunctive means?"
  • "Be that as it may (a subjunctive phrase) most English subjunctive is in the form of word construction."
  • "When I wrote that I'd like to get rid of the subjunctive in Spanish, it was said mostly tongue in cheek because, as a former Spanish teacher, I was always telling my students how important the subjunctive is in Spanish and, yes, it's used a lot, and, yes, it's used in everyday conversation, not just in writing and formal speech."