as in rebel
someone who tries to overthrow or undermine a governing power
They were outted as subversives and exiled from the country.
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as in violent
seeking to overthrow or undermine a governing power
A subversive organization determined to unseat a leader who they believed operated outside the law.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of subversive
Chris Yogerst, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2025
Loners lashing out America has had genuine subversives and left-wing terror networks in the past.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2025
An obsession with Perfidia Beverly Hills (a magnetic Teyana Taylor), the animating figure behind a militant organization called the French 75 and the most stunning subversive to flaunt an automatic weapon while heavily pregnant.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
To dissidents, she has been seen as a hero putting her life on the line; to Modi’s supporters, as a dangerous subversive who is anti-national and anti-Hindu.
—Anderson Tepper, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2025
André's chaotic talk show, The Eric Andre Show (2012–2023), established the actor and comedian as a true subversive, which makes his turns in projects such as The Lion King (2019) and Trolls Band Together (2023) that much more amusing.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Sep. 2025
Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026
Started in 2014 after Liang graduated from Parsons School of Design, the Sandy Liang label broke out in the early 2020s, becoming synonymous with subversive ultrafeminine attire.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
The military had turned the well into a mass grave, dumping the bodies of students, political activists and rural workers deemed subversive, and covering them with layers of earth, stones and debris.
—ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026
My favorite detective, Agatha Christie’s sweet old-lady sleuth, Miss Marple, had taught me that listening could be subversive.
—Literary Hub, 11 Mar. 2026
Shelley grew up knowing exactly what happened to women who refused their prescribed role, and hid her most subversive arguments inside a story that looked, on its surface, like a cautionary tale about science.
—Kennedy French, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
But one weapon that’s always available to the oppressed is the subversive joke.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
Of course, Gucci marked a strong new era with Demna’s debut, blending Tom Ford-era sensual heritage with his own subversive aesthetic.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 2 Mar. 2026
Tasnim, a semi-official news outlet closely aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reportedly displayed subversive messages targeting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Mar. 2026
Noun
On November 25, 1947, a majority of Hollywood top brass met at the Waldorf Astoria in New York and drafted the notorious Waldorf Statement that promised no studio would employ anyone who was a communist or suspected subversive.
—Chris Yogerst, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2025
Loners lashing out America has had genuine subversives and left-wing terror networks in the past.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2025
An obsession with Perfidia Beverly Hills (a magnetic Teyana Taylor), the animating figure behind a militant organization called the French 75 and the most stunning subversive to flaunt an automatic weapon while heavily pregnant.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
To dissidents, she has been seen as a hero putting her life on the line; to Modi’s supporters, as a dangerous subversive who is anti-national and anti-Hindu.
—Anderson Tepper, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2025
André's chaotic talk show, The Eric Andre Show (2012–2023), established the actor and comedian as a true subversive, which makes his turns in projects such as The Lion King (2019) and Trolls Band Together (2023) that much more amusing.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Like a little kid touching a finger to a painting when the museum guard isn’t looking, taking knife and fork to this artistry felt subversive.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026
Started in 2014 after Liang graduated from Parsons School of Design, the Sandy Liang label broke out in the early 2020s, becoming synonymous with subversive ultrafeminine attire.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
The military had turned the well into a mass grave, dumping the bodies of students, political activists and rural workers deemed subversive, and covering them with layers of earth, stones and debris.
—ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026
My favorite detective, Agatha Christie’s sweet old-lady sleuth, Miss Marple, had taught me that listening could be subversive.
—Literary Hub, 11 Mar. 2026
Shelley grew up knowing exactly what happened to women who refused their prescribed role, and hid her most subversive arguments inside a story that looked, on its surface, like a cautionary tale about science.
—Kennedy French, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
But one weapon that’s always available to the oppressed is the subversive joke.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
Of course, Gucci marked a strong new era with Demna’s debut, blending Tom Ford-era sensual heritage with his own subversive aesthetic.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 2 Mar. 2026
Tasnim, a semi-official news outlet closely aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reportedly displayed subversive messages targeting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subversive
Noun
-
As the decade wore on, though, my parents grew up—as happens to young rebels—and my mother, unexpectedly, started thinking about having kids.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Their work and mental health were further disrupted when Houthi rebels in Yemen began attacking ships in the Red Sea, with at least nine sailors killed and 11 others held captive for five months.—
Mithil Aggarwal,
NBC news,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Jessica Gorman delivered emotional remarks Saturday at a vigil in Yorktown Heights, New York, honoring her daughter — a Loyola University Chicago freshman whose life was cut short in what authorities describe as a sudden, violent attack.—
Sophia Compton,
FOXNews.com,
29 Mar. 2026
-
That’s a reference to what Duncan always intended, and rightly so, as a holistic approach to the problem of violent crime, involving not just violence interrupting by former gang members turned peacekeepers but better education and job opportunities for the young people most at risk.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The act as insurgent against privilege, set to die in the rot of reason.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Mills’s primary opponent, oyster farmer and progressive insurgent Graham Platner, echoed other outsiders last year in calling for Schumer to lose his leadership post over his government shutdown dealings with Republicans.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Atlanta offers a unique laboratory where chefs test ideas to determine if temporary kitchens can transform into revolutionary restaurants.—
Sam Flemming,
AJC.com,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Being able to pause a social media feed would be revolutionary.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That’s partially due to bandleader Caspian Honeywell’s time on the circuit in the defunct anarchist group Blackbird Raum, who jump-started the folk-punk movement almost 20 years ago.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
23 Feb. 2026
-
All were marked for assassination by an anarchist cook named Jean Crones, who spiked the soup stock with arsenic.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subversive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subversive. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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