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
Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Instead, the stylish couple spent the construction years combing through vintage markets, building a concept that’s classic, but singular and a little subversive.
—Regan Stephens, Travel + Leisure, 20 Apr. 2026
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
Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 June 2026
Ahead, find the five dark June nail colors experts recommend painting on for a subversive summer manicure.
—Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 6 June 2026
Under creative director Chemena Kamali, the brand has embraced its bohemian roots with a subversive twist, mixing sheer billowing silhouettes with unexpected footwear.
—Diana Tsui, Footwear News, 4 June 2026
Lean into its subversive nature with an open-weave knit and a midiskirt.
—Christina Holevas, Vogue, 3 June 2026
Going avant-garde with a subversive basic top for one of your first tunnel walks has to go down in WNBA history.
—Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Fela was constantly sparring with the authorities, through open-air sessions of searing commentary at his clubhouse, subversive lyrics and confrontation with officers.
—ABC News, 31 May 2026
But under the surface, the real story of this season has been much more subversive.
—Jon MacKenzie, New York Times, 27 May 2026
But there’s nothing shocking or subversive about this movie, which plays like proficient, forgettable straight-to-streaming fare for the first ninety minutes and then botches its big, bloody finale.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 May 2026
Noun
The seamless integration of old and new feels stealthy, and a touch subversive, a doubling-down on the museum’s approach to time as nonlinear, sinuous and delightfully slippery.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Instead, the stylish couple spent the construction years combing through vintage markets, building a concept that’s classic, but singular and a little subversive.
—Regan Stephens, Travel + Leisure, 20 Apr. 2026
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
Over the years, the film has developed cult classic status for its subversive tone (credited to screenwriter James Gunn) and nostalgic early-2000s aesthetic.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 June 2026
Ahead, find the five dark June nail colors experts recommend painting on for a subversive summer manicure.
—Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 6 June 2026
Under creative director Chemena Kamali, the brand has embraced its bohemian roots with a subversive twist, mixing sheer billowing silhouettes with unexpected footwear.
—Diana Tsui, Footwear News, 4 June 2026
Lean into its subversive nature with an open-weave knit and a midiskirt.
—Christina Holevas, Vogue, 3 June 2026
Going avant-garde with a subversive basic top for one of your first tunnel walks has to go down in WNBA history.
—Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Fela was constantly sparring with the authorities, through open-air sessions of searing commentary at his clubhouse, subversive lyrics and confrontation with officers.
—ABC News, 31 May 2026
But under the surface, the real story of this season has been much more subversive.
—Jon MacKenzie, New York Times, 27 May 2026
But there’s nothing shocking or subversive about this movie, which plays like proficient, forgettable straight-to-streaming fare for the first ninety minutes and then botches its big, bloody finale.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subversive
Noun
-
At least 30 people were killed, including patients, after an airstrike by Myanmar’s ruling junta hit a major hospital in the western state of Rakhine, a rebel group, an aid worker and a witness said Thursday.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
11 Dec. 2025
-
Behrouz Vossoughi, a new-wave actor loved by anti-shah rebels, was her co-star in many films and eventually her second husband.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
10 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Maclean’s work traffics in deep fakes and glitch aesthetics, rainbow cuteness and the tropes of pulp—but these are set against violent dystopias and a world of cruelties borne, especially, by women (see her 2018 video Make Me Up as an example).—
Eugenie Brinkema,
ARTnews.com,
14 June 2026
-
Images of the violent attempt to overthrow the legitimate results of the 2020 election are dominated by a sea of American flags, but at rallies and demonstrations supporting progressive causes, comparatively few are seen.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
In 2022, French forces departed Mali as insurgents made incursions into the capital, Bamako.—
Kaitlyn Rabe,
The Conversation,
16 June 2026
-
The press aims to champion writing that is urgent and insurgent.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
What made this system truly revolutionary was the demonstration in 2012 that it could be reprogrammed with different pieces of guide RNA to edit virtually any genome in any species, and at a level of precision and ease that far surpassed existing gene-editing tools.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
11 June 2026
-
Her other books include Adèle, Sex and Lies, Country of Others and Watch Us Dance, which are the first and second parts of a trilogy of novels based on her family’s roots in revolutionary Morocco.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
McKinley was reelected in 1900, but then assassinated by an anarchist at the 1901 Pan American Exposition in Buffalo.—
Scott Wartman,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
-
In 1927, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, two working-class Italian anarchists charged with murder, were sent to the electric chair in Massachusetts, setting off protests around the world.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
24 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Subversive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subversive. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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