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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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subversive
Noun
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According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, last year was the worst year yet for peace in the country since a 2016 deal was struck between the FARC, Colombia’s largest rebel group, and the Colombian state.—
Ladan Anoushfar,
CNN Money,
6 Aug. 2025 -
In 2024, a group of UN experts said that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were fighting alongside the rebels.—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
30 July 2025
Adjective
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There ended up being a fire in the shop, and police discovered the victims (again, content warning for a violent crime), naked, tied up, burned, shot in the head with at least one of them having been raped.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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Year-to-date violent crime, as of Aug. 5, is down 26% compared to the year before, and the 2024 figure dropped 35% from 2023.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Lahav emphasized that stringent measures would need to be taken in Israel's outreach to Iranian insurgent groups to avoid creating outcomes with the potential to be just as unfavorable, or even more unfavorable, to national and regional security.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 July 2025
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Saturday’s bracket gets going with one-time tourney staple UCLA and insurgent Murray State.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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The party kept going outside after the show, where, in a rare move, attendees were surprised with a block party worthy of Hamilton's revolutionary legacy.—
Dave Quinn,
People.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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One hundred years on, the Model T’s revolutionary design is still remarkably relevant.—
The Detroit News,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
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In season 1, Elliot is recruited by a mysterious anarchist who calls himself Mr. Robot, who leads a team of hacker activists known as fsociety.—
Lauren Huff,
EW.com,
4 July 2025
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While nature was variously defined by different anarchists, most agreed that human nature ought to guide civilization and that human beings are basically good, intrinsically capable of harmony.—
Ben Woollard,
JSTOR Daily,
18 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Subversive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subversive. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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