as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
by insisting that she pay me for helping her, she subverted my noble desire to do a good deed without reward
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Recent Examples of subvert
In addition to taking sharp (if affectionate) meta-swipes at Sandler’s movie career, Funny People subverts its primary hook, crafting a character portrait of a guy set up to have a life-changing epiphany… and then doesn’t.
—
Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 26 July 2025
The timeless designs highlight the storytelling that both Henry and Shabaka have mastered.
Diotima by designer Rachel Scott has subverted the ideals often associated with designers who have Caribbean roots.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 25 July 2025
This is about the process and the policy of subverting a sitting Fed chair – and that’s what bothers me most.
—Ron Insana, CNBC, 26 June 2025
On the flip side, some influencers have posted images of them wearing Skims' retro girdle as a sole outfit, subverting the 1950s connotation of undergarments as visible only to one's husband, said Einav Rabinovitch-Fox, professor of gender at Case Western Reserve University.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for subvert
Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 26 July 2025
The timeless designs highlight the storytelling that both Henry and Shabaka have mastered.
Diotima by designer Rachel Scott has subverted the ideals often associated with designers who have Caribbean roots.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 25 July 2025
This is about the process and the policy of subverting a sitting Fed chair – and that’s what bothers me most.
—Ron Insana, CNBC, 26 June 2025
On the flip side, some influencers have posted images of them wearing Skims' retro girdle as a sole outfit, subverting the 1950s connotation of undergarments as visible only to one's husband, said Einav Rabinovitch-Fox, professor of gender at Case Western Reserve University.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for subvert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subvert
Verb
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Although Israel did not fully eliminate Iran’s nuclear capabilities, its air campaign delayed, degraded, and deterred Iran’s ambitions, and further transformed the Middle East’spolitical landscape.—
DAVID A. DEPTULA,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Aug. 2025
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They are also believed to degrade water quality, which can hurt sensitive organisms like freshwater mussels.—
Madeline Heim,
jsonline.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But Goolsbee said Trump’s immigration crackdown likely has affected population growth and the jobs numbers, but that doesn’t mean the labor market has substantially weakened.—
Paul Davidson,
USA Today,
13 Aug. 2025
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This means banana particles can remain between teeth for an extended period, giving bacteria more time to produce acids that weaken tooth enamel.14 6.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Verywell Health,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The chances that the data would be corrupted three times is very unlikely, Kinget points out.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
10 Aug. 2025
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Jefferson and his supporters understood that such mixing of church and state corrupted both.—
Time,
Time,
10 July 2025
Verb
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But when our home was destroyed, our studio lost, and the war displaced us to Khanyounis’s tent camps, cooking became less about flavor and more about survival.—
Hamada Shaqoura,
Time,
7 Aug. 2025
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There were 25 diesel buses that were destroyed per the grant regulations, Young said.—
Harley Walls,
Arkansas Online,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Luthor’s ultimate defeat is an unmasking that humiliates him by confirming his own worst fears about himself.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
16 July 2025
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Coach Ruben Amorim publicly humiliated him before a loan move to Aston Villa for the final half of the campaign.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
20 July 2025
Verb
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Among many methods deployed, the most common was to debase the circulating coins and inflate the money supply.—
Dave Birnbaum,
Forbes.com,
4 July 2025
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Read More: The Battle for Our Memory Is the Battle for Our Country But debasing our history through censorship and ideological cherry-picking insults the memory of the nine saints who were murdered at Mother Emanuel, desecrating its sacred space all over again.—
Kevin Sack,
Time,
3 June 2025
Verb
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But Trump has poisoned those relationships through his intemperate demands and threats.—
Steve Chapman,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Aug. 2025
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Given the scale of the U.S.'s deficits, the patient may already be poisoned.—
Clem Chambers,
Forbes.com,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Some politicians in the European Parliament are seeking to dilute EU rules.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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That was after Activision took steps organizers called union busting, including withholding raises granted to nonunion workers and reorganizing Raven’s staff in what the union argued was an attempt to dilute its support ahead of the election.—
Natalie Yahr,
jsonline.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Subvert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subvert. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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