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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Recent Examples of subversion
Amos Toh, a senior counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, was also among several legal experts who said that the supply chain risk designation requires the government to prove that there is a risk of sabotage, subversion, or manipulation of operations by an adversary.
—
Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2026
After all, scholars have been assuring us for years that disco was a site of subversion, liberation, and transgression, and yet these findings clearly did not trouble the MAGA gang.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
The subversion of traditional fashion narratives prompts viewers to examine class and aesthetics.
—Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 18 Feb. 2026
But apart from how electric her music is, her brand is bad-girl subversion.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subversion
Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2026
After all, scholars have been assuring us for years that disco was a site of subversion, liberation, and transgression, and yet these findings clearly did not trouble the MAGA gang.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
The subversion of traditional fashion narratives prompts viewers to examine class and aesthetics.
—Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 18 Feb. 2026
But apart from how electric her music is, her brand is bad-girl subversion.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subversion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subversion
Noun
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When the prompts did not include such language, the risk of the model engaging in scheming or sabotage to preserve itself dropped to almost nothing, the Google DeepMind team found.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
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There are widespread concerns, too, about the potential for China to use its green hardware for spying, or sabotage.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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There were rebellions, insurrections and an Appian Way lined with crucifixions.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
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Meanwhile, a separate insurrection led by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, a Marxist political party, tore through the southern part of the country in the late 1980s, killing tens of thousands of people.—
Eranda Jayawickreme,
The Conversation,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
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After being tricked by Scarpia, Cavaradossi is hanged for treason.—
Courtney Lewis,
Florida Times-Union,
28 Mar. 2026
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Other montage highlights and lowlights include Margo Madison being found guilty of treason and Samantha Massey being convicted of conspiracy to violate the M-7 charter.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Resistance, rebellion and retribution all come out to play in one of Disney+’s most consistent series that’s unafraid to put its larger-than-life characters into the maw of Venus fly trap-like set of moral and ethical issues.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
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In the era of AI, the notion of learning something for yourself is a quiet, internal act of rebellion against a world that seems to be flowing in the wrong direction.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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When a white suburban jury acquitted the LAPD officers who beat Black motorist Rodney King, protesters spilled into the Slot and set the nearby landmark palm trees on fire — a precursor for the unrest to come.—
Deputy Managing Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
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So when, in December 2025, thousands of ICE agents descended upon the Twin Cities, initiating two months of unrest and violence, restaurants were not at the forefront of the headlines, but acutely absorbing its impact.—
David Farley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Undocumented immigrants venture from Mexico, often underestimating of the treachery of the landscape.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
26 Mar. 2026
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Jonathan Cute kept probing the murky realms between tourism and treachery.—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subversion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subversion. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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