subsidiary
Lesser in importance
Subsidiary describes something that serves a supporting or secondary role to something larger or more important.
A subsidiary company is one owned or controlled by a parent corporation: The tech giant operates through dozens of subsidiaries worldwide.
Subsidiary can also modify other nouns—subsidiary issues, subsidiary goals—meaning they're less central than the main concern.
Connected member organization
- branchDivision or woody limb
- divisionSplitting into parts
- holdingMaintaining physical possession
- parentMother or father
conglomerate · merger · acquisition · corporation · enterprise · firm · LLC · PLC
One lower in rank
- satelliteOrbiting celestial body
- vassalLand-holding sworn subordinate
- clientOne who hires professionals
- wardProtected person; division
protectorate · colony · puppet · subject · junior · inferior · underling · minion
Serving to complete
- ancillaryProviding additional support
- supportingBearing or sustaining
- complementaryMutually supplying lacks
- accessorySupplementary addition
adjunct · collateral · contributory · peripheral · incidental · secondary · minor · lesser
Support or aid given
funding · sponsorship · endorsement · patronage · reinforcement · bolstering · sustaining · underpinning
affiliate
Connected member organization
parent · conglomerate · merger · acquisition · corporation · enterprise · firm · LLC · PLC · spinoff
subordinate
One lower in rank
- satelliteOrbiting celestial body
- vassalLand-holding sworn subordinate
- clientOne who hires professionals
ward · protectorate · colony · puppet · subject · junior · inferior · underling · minion · secondary
supplementary
Serving to complete
- ancillaryProviding additional support
- supportingBearing or sustaining
- complementaryMutually supplying lacks
accessory · adjunct · collateral · contributory · peripheral · incidental · secondary · minor · lesser · backup
assistance
Support or aid given
support · funding · sponsorship · endorsement · patronage · reinforcement · bolstering · sustaining · underpinning · facilitation
- branchesbough, limb, twig, sprig, shoot
- businesscompany, corporation, firm, enterprise, commerce
- business termsfranchising, revenue stream, board meeting, gross margin, markdown
- corporatecorporation, CEO, office, CFO, cubicle
- organizationsorganization, organizations, company, companies, club
- "Sub-" wordssubway, submarine, subtract, subject, suburb
subsidiaryparent company
Firm owning subsidiary businesses
holding company · parent · headquarters · conglomerate · principal
subsidiarymain
Chief or primary element
principal · primary · chief · central · predominant
subsidiaryindependent
Free from external control
autonomous · sovereign · self-governing · freestanding · unaffiliated