Synonyms of subversive

subversive 1 of 2

noun

as in rebel

someone who tries to overthrow or undermine a governing power

They were outted as subversives and exiled from the country.

Related Words

• rebel
• insurgent
• revolutionary
• anarchist
• traitor
• radical
• extremist
• renegade
• agitator
• insurrectionist
• anarch
• troublemaker
• revolutionist
• alarmist
• separatist
• crazy
• separationist
• secessionist
• revolter
• defector
• deserter
• conspirator
• collaborator
• intriguer
• Judas
• turncoat
• quisling
• collaborationist
• coconspirator
• plotter
• young Turk
• subverter
• schemer
• apostate
• betrayer
• double-dealer
• snake
• double-crosser
• sellout
• serpent
• backstabber
• recreant
• accommodationist

subversive

2 of 2

adjective

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.

Related Words

• violent
• revolutionary
• radical
• provocative
• exciting
• inflammatory
• provoking
• incendiary
• wild
• reactionary
• inciting
• rabid
• agitating
• fomenting
• rabble-rousing
• instigating
• extremist
• extreme
• fanatic
• ultra
• revolutionist

Dissimilar Words

• conservative
• moderate
• traditional
• conventional
• progressive
• temperate
• liberal
• orthodox
• middle-of-the-road
• nonrevolutionary
• unrevolutionary

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of subversive

Noun

Home of the subversive and the sublime, the maverick and the madman, the inspired and the inspiring, the sage and the clown, and, most important, the brave. — Tom Selleck, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026

Kristen Stewart loves to be a little subversive with her fashion choices. — Juliana Ukiomogbe, InStyle, 23 June 2026

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

Adjective

Biller’s films play with camp, feminism, and misogyny in subversive ways. — John Ross, Vanity Fair, 10 Sep. 2026

As members of a generation raised on YouTube, Slushy Noobz feels quietly subversive. — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 24 Aug. 2026

At the same time, Girl Talk gives the production a smoothness that makes the songs feel more subversive and never disposable. — Brendan Hay, SPIN, 24 Aug. 2026

His overreaching executive authority and voter suppression attempts amount to subversive governance. — Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2026

The Valen seems tailored to capture some of these customers, bridging the gap between the Valhalla and the Vanquish with a unique, slightly subversive twist on what an Aston Martin can be. — Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 14 Aug. 2026

The short story’s subversive power is inversely correlated to its popularity, even to its academic credibility. — Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026

The State Department’s 2026 report on Cuba cites the subcommittee’s hearings as its only evidence that the Fair Play for Cuba Committee was subversive. — Aaron Coy Moulton, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2026

Paul Verhoeven’s subversive blockbuster shrewdly toys with Quaid’s — and our — sense of reality. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Aug. 2026