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
Relevance
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
Dissimilar Words
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 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
Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2025
While the bad clown—a horror staple—might seem like a perversion of a wholesome form of entertainment historically meant for children, the clown in popular culture has always been subversive.
—Time, 30 Oct. 2025
There is an enduring punk rock persona too, with some more subversive, feminine details.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025
But the campaign is a subversive take on marketing in the year 2025, star-studded, social first, and using pop culture as an entry-point for fans.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025
The result is bright, exotic, and joyfully subversive, proving that even the darkest wood can burn so bright.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2025
This week, the brands unveiled a collaboration defined by a subversive aesthetic.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 10 Oct. 2025
Fast forward ten years, and Vans has reimagined that same ethos through a skate lens, turning a once-divisive luxury statement into something both accessible and subversive.
—Christopher Claxton, Billboard, 10 Oct. 2025
Consider that a testament to the movie itself, which, nearly a century on, endures for its seamless blend of gothic storytelling, immersive stagecraft, and subversive comedy.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Oct. 2025
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
Juergen Teller, fashion’s most subversive photographer, known for his dark wit and stark images, has been plumbing the depths — of love, religion, friendship and family.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2025
While the bad clown—a horror staple—might seem like a perversion of a wholesome form of entertainment historically meant for children, the clown in popular culture has always been subversive.
—Time, 30 Oct. 2025
There is an enduring punk rock persona too, with some more subversive, feminine details.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025
But the campaign is a subversive take on marketing in the year 2025, star-studded, social first, and using pop culture as an entry-point for fans.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025
The result is bright, exotic, and joyfully subversive, proving that even the darkest wood can burn so bright.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2025
This week, the brands unveiled a collaboration defined by a subversive aesthetic.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 10 Oct. 2025
Fast forward ten years, and Vans has reimagined that same ethos through a skate lens, turning a once-divisive luxury statement into something both accessible and subversive.
—Christopher Claxton, Billboard, 10 Oct. 2025
Consider that a testament to the movie itself, which, nearly a century on, endures for its seamless blend of gothic storytelling, immersive stagecraft, and subversive comedy.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subversive
Noun
-
The apparent killing – captured on video shared online by the rebels themselves – took place at a university medical school in El Fasher in Sudan’s western Darfur region after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took over the city on Sunday.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
-
As regular troops in French service, the British treated them as prisoners of war instead of Jacobite rebels, and eventually repatriated them to France.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
With words infallibly falling short, Pritam mingled realism with a fragmentary style of narration that meshes together social encounters, violent episodes, vivid metaphors, disturbing dreams, memories, intimate self-reflections, and introspection on society.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Once embroiled in conflict, participants and spectators layer on more stories to make sense of their relationship to its violent cauldron.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has successfully recruited prized political heavyweights in key battlegrounds, but left-wing insurgents are threatening to dash his plans to create a competitive midterm map for Democrats.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Al-Shabaab, an Islamist insurgent group that has battled the central government for two decades in southern and central Somalia, is gaining ground.—
Omar S Mahmood,
Time,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
For frequent flyers, saving an hour (and skipping the chaos of baggage claim) feels nothing short of revolutionary.—
Maddie Hiatt,
Travel + Leisure,
30 Oct. 2025
-
One Battle After Another follows Bob, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, an ex-revolutionary on a journey to rescue his daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti) from an old enemy.—
Ryan Fleming,
Deadline,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The press has cast stones at One Battle After Another for its $140 million production cost, saying a car chase movie about anarchists should never have cost that much.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Notable inmates once held at the jail include Boston Mayor James Michael Curley, anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, civil rights leader Malcolm X and mobster Whitey Bulger, according to records.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Subversive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subversive. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share