subordinated

Subordinated describes something that has been placed in a lower rank, position, or priority relative to something else.

In finance, subordinated debt or loans are those that will only be repaid after higher-priority debts are settled if a borrower defaults—making them riskier for lenders.

More generally, when interests or concerns are subordinated, they're treated as less important: Her own ambitions were subordinated to the needs of the family.

The term implies an active decision or process that established the hierarchy.