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.

Related Words

Relevance

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 Subversion of the Source Material One of the biggest issues in Hollywood, especially over the last decade, is subversion of the source material. — Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 July 2026 And because of that canon, Tapert and Raimi are there to ensure that any subversions don’t go too far astray. — Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 8 July 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 See All Example Sentences for subversion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subversion
  1. sabotage
  2. insurrection
  3. treason
  4. rebellion
  5. unrest
Noun
  • All countries in Europe are on high alert with Russia stepping up its sabotage and malign activity across the continent since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The lesson isn’t that today’s police running license-plate-reading systems are secretly plotting political sabotage.
    — Karl W. Bickel, Baltimore Sun, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of sabotage
Noun
  • As Port falls in with a group of conspirators preparing for the insurrection, the book takes on a hallucinatory, digressive quality, blurring the lines between life and death, reality and illusion.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Stephen Colbert’s award-winning Late Show was canceled in a move that many have labeled political appeasement, and the flagship evening newscast baselessly recast the January 6 insurrection as a partisan squabble.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of insurrection
Noun
  • Turn on any cable news network, and the national political landscape can look like a toxic wasteland, defined by vitriol, outrage, even allegations of treason.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The messenger, French emigré Charles Darnay (Civil) is arrested for treason.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of treason
Noun
  • During the Sengoku period, clan leader Isshin Ashina leads a successful rebellion against the rulers to secure Ashina’s independence.
    — Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026
  • According to a recent paper by the French Institute of International Relations, the SAF and its supporters claim to be putting down an armed rebellion as Sudan’s legitimate government.
    — Mat Nashed, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of rebellion
Noun
  • That march, an inflection point in the Civil Rights Movement, also came at a fraught moment for the country, when economic headwinds, civil unrest, political division and the war in Vietnam bitterly divided Americans.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • That march, an inflection point in the Civil Rights Movement, came at a fraught moment for the country, when economic headwinds, civil unrest, political division and the Vietnam War bitterly divided Americans.
    — Matt Brown, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of unrest

Browse Nearby Words

subventions
subversion
subversions
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Subversion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subversion. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All