subversion

noun

Definition of subversionnext
as in sabotage
secret efforts to weaken or ruin a political system or government from within They were arrested on charges of political subversion.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of subversion He was imprisoned for three years in 2001 for inciting subversion of state power. — ABC News, 29 June 2026 Bright says this reimagining and subversion of expectations fits neatly with her team’s vision. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 23 June 2026 In my fiction, my grandfather was no longer an inscrutable ghost, but a character with definable flaws, who did things in an order that, despite whatever twists and subversions, resolved into meaning. — Literary Hub, 10 June 2026 Leaflets, filled with anti-government propaganda, soon emerged as the group’s newest, and boldest, tactic at subversion. — Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 20 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for subversion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subversion
  1. sabotage
  2. insurrection
  3. treason
  4. rebellion
  5. unrest
  6. treachery
Noun
  • Doing it with 10 men against Mexico or in the closing stages against Norway is one thing; trying to shut up shop against a team with Argentina’s firepower for more than half an hour was an act of self sabotage.
    — The Athletic UK Staff, New York Times, 16 July 2026
  • Goldman’s sector rankings suggest information, professional services, insurance, and finance are best positioned for early productivity gains—the same white-collar industries where the sabotage surveys find the highest rates of resistance.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 14 July 2026
Definition of sabotage
Noun
  • Writer, historian, and activist Rebecca Solnit is the author of more than twenty-five books on feminism, western and urban history, popular power, social change and insurrection, wandering and walking, hope and catastrophe.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
  • The 14th Amendment’s foundational principles include birthright citizenship, due process, equal protection under the law, and the prohibition for heads of state to engage in acts of insurrection.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 21 July 2026
Definition of insurrection
Noun
  • Alfred Dreyfus, whose wrongful 19th century treason conviction exposed deeply rooted anti-Jewish bias in France.
    — Masha Macpherson, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
  • What constitutes treason is emerging as an early theme of House of the Dragon’s third season.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 June 2026
Definition of treason
Noun
  • In reality, the big debate has been about questions such as whether military bases should be named for traitors and whether governments should host monuments to a rebellion to defend slavery.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 21 July 2026
  • Songwriting happened naturally as a rebellion to learning certain chords.
    — Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 20 July 2026
Definition of rebellion
Noun
  • Protesters have been calling for accountability after allegations entrance exams to esteemed medical schools had been leaked and sold, with the unrest led by a youth campaign known as the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
  • Los Angeles was the site of significant unrest following raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
    — Barry Svrluga, New York Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of unrest
Noun
  • Guides spoke of the monthlong siege that ended only because of the treachery of a local noble who turned on the sultan and allowed British troops to scale the walls.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 2 July 2026
  • This is not treachery but the truest and noblest affection.
    — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
Definition of treachery

Browse Nearby Words

subventions
subversion
subversions
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Cite this Entry

“Subversion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subversion. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of subversion for Spanish Speakers

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