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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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
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
The scent opens with the green lushness of fig sharpened by black pepper—striking a balance between smooth and subversive.
—Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2026
But go for the electric atmosphere, the camaraderie of fans all wearing their lurid synthetic jerseys, and the gravitational pleasure of cheering for a team at its home ground (or indeed, the subversive thrill of cheering for the away team).
—Samanth Subramanian, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Feb. 2026
Known for combining high fashion with streetwear, Bad Bunny has a reputation for adventurous and subversive style.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 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
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
The scent opens with the green lushness of fig sharpened by black pepper—striking a balance between smooth and subversive.
—Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2026
But go for the electric atmosphere, the camaraderie of fans all wearing their lurid synthetic jerseys, and the gravitational pleasure of cheering for a team at its home ground (or indeed, the subversive thrill of cheering for the away team).
—Samanth Subramanian, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Feb. 2026
Known for combining high fashion with streetwear, Bad Bunny has a reputation for adventurous and subversive style.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subversive
Noun
-
The mineral-rich eastern Congo has been battered by decades of unrest as government forces fight more than 100 armed groups, the most potent the M23 rebel group backed by Rwanda.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Ai, a Chinese Vietnamese American filmmaker and writer, focuses on rebels and outsiders of mainstream culture.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The death of a star is usually thought to be a violent and hostile place, filled with scorching radiation that destroys fragile molecules.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Last year, the county sued NaphCare for its alleged role in the death of Brandon Yates, who was murdered in the Central Jail in 2024 after being wrongly placed into a cell with a violent offender.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That kind of chaos could easily spill over Iran’s borders, and not just by land; the Persian Gulf is narrow, and would not pose much of an obstacle to terrorists or insurgents who cross it in speedboats.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Paxton will counter that Texas runoffs often reward insurgents.—
Gromer Jeffers Jr,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
As the teams of scientists working on this puzzle concluded back in 2025, the errors and uncertainties are over on the theoretical side, and until better calculations are performed, the experimental results cannot be used to draw such a sweeping and revolutionary conclusion.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
19 Mar. 2026
-
What Skate Key did — at its best — was simple and revolutionary.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
19 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 21 Mar. 2026.
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