What does suborned mean?
Suborned is chiefly a legal adjective describing a person who has been deliberately induced to commit wrongdoing, most notably by giving false testimony under oath. The term is particularly associated with bribery and corruption of witnesses, although any improper influence capable of producing perjured or fraudulent testimony may qualify. A suborned witness has therefore not merely made an unreliable statement: the word emphasizes that the witness's false testimony resulted from manipulation intended to secure that outcome. In American legal writing, “suborned” is common, while “perjured” may be used more broadly for anyone who has knowingly sworn falsely, regardless of how the false statement was produced. Outside legal contexts, the word can occasionally describe any person or testimony that has been deliberately corrupted or improperly influenced. Its specificity makes it more informative than a general term such as “unreliable,” while its association with witness corruption makes it unsuitable as a casual synonym for an ordinary mistake.
adjectiveInduced or procured to commit wrongdoing, especially perjury or other fraud. It is most often used of a witness or other person who has been improperly influenced to give false testimony.
- Induced or procured to commit wrongdoing, especially perjury or fraud.
"The court excluded evidence that the suborned witness had provided in exchange for money."
"Investigators alleged that the witness had been bribed and had given suborned testimony."
"The fraud depended on several suborned witnesses who repeated false claims under oath."
A suborned witness is not merely a liar: the word points to the deliberate influence behind the false testimony.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does suborned come from?
The word comes from the verb suborn, which entered English from Latin subornare, a term associated with corrupting or tampering with someone. Latin subornare was formed from sub-, meaning “under,” and ornare, meaning “to adorn,” originally referring metaphorically to furnishing or preparing a person for improper conduct. The legal sense developed from the idea of procuring another person to commit an offense, especially perjury. Subornation and ornament ultimately belong to the same Latin family of derivatives.
Related word forms
How suborned is actually used
This is primarily a legal term and is especially associated with American usage. It is usually used in the passive for a person who has been bribed, threatened, deceived, or otherwise improperly influenced to give false testimony; the exact improper influence need not necessarily have been financial.