Modifies a noun

• lighting: Watch the DVD in a room with subdued lighting.

• tone: He was a great admirer of Whistler and envied his mastery of subdued tones and abstract effects of light.

• mood: The weather was fair but I was in a subdued mood and could only manage an egg.

• affair: Christmas at the Drake flat is a subdued affair.

• voice: Stopping short and listening intently, they heard subdued voices not far from the spot where they stood.

• atmosphere: The quality of the finish was a little lost in the subdued atmosphere.

Modifying Another Word

• very: The symptoms are similar to those caused by the diseases but in a very subdued and mild form.

Used with adjective complement

• become: There was light modern music playing a bit loud for my tastes but as more people arrived it did become more subdued.