1. a specialized area of study or activity within a larger field or discipline
Usage: academic; technical

Examples

• Quantum mechanics is a subfield of physics.
• She specializes in developmental psychology, a subfield of psychology.
• Machine learning has become an important subfield of computer science.
• The researcher works in algebraic topology, a subfield of mathematics.
• Environmental law is a growing subfield within legal studies.
• Molecular biology emerged as a distinct subfield in the mid-20th century.