as in rebels
someone who tries to overthrow or undermine a governing power
They were outted as subversives and exiled from the country.
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Recent Examples of subversives
Loners lashing out America has had genuine subversives and left-wing terror networks in the past.
—
Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2025
Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subversives
Noun
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Hezbollah was further weakened when rebels overthrew the regime of key ally Syrian President Bashar Assad, cutting off a major supply route for Iranian weapons.—
Adam Geller,
Fortune,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Operation Aspides was set up two years ago, to help defend maritime traffic against possible attacks by Houthi rebels based in Yemen.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Paxton will counter that Texas runoffs often reward insurgents.—
Gromer Jeffers Jr,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Mar. 2026
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After Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, the new theocracy also battled Kurdish insurgents.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Almost fifty years ago, Iran’s revolutionaries introduced a militant brand of Shiite Islam as a viable medium of political opposition and governance.—
Robin Wright,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
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Once back in power, Perón—and, after his death in 1974, his wife and successor, Isabelita—would demonize the revolutionaries as terrorists.—
Daniel R. Quiles,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Investigators are not ruling out sabotage carried out by anarchists, citing similarities to the sabotage that targeted the French network during the 2024 Paris Olympics, when France’s high-speed train lines were targeted by multiple malicious acts including arson.—
Antonia Mortensen,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
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The loudest calls for taxing the ultra-rich amid this year’s Davos summit aren’t coming from hooded anarchists or revolutionary socialists, but from the one-percenters themselves.—
Joe Wilkins Published Jan 22,
Futurism,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Faithfuls also have chances to banish traitors by voting them out of the castle during a nightly event called the roundtable.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
3 Mar. 2026
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Rinna was selected as one of the traitors on the show, but she was voted off.—
Minyvonne Burke,
NBC news,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subversives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subversives. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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