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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Analysts, including those at the ISP-M, say China has intermittently backed both Myanmar's ruling military, and the rebels that military is battling in the country's civil war, depending on its varying economic and security interests.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
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The celebratory tours take visitors through the city's historic brick roads and along the bayfront, uncovering colonial stories of East Florida's loyalty to the British, imprisoned founding fathers and patriot rebels.—
Amy Galo,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
Noun
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In 2022, French forces departed Mali as insurgents made incursions into the capital, Bamako.—
Kaitlyn Rabe,
The Conversation,
16 June 2026
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The insurgents become known as the Osos (Bears).—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
12 June 2026
Noun
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Some imagery on the shirt, depicting Haitian revolutionaries from the early 1800s, was declared political and therefore not allowed, having fallen foul of FIFA’s often quite stringent rules around kits at World Cups.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
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Both then and now, targeting revolutionaries like Dessalines has supported that goal.—
Julia Gaffield,
The Conversation,
15 June 2026
Noun
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In July 1936, anarchists set fire to the church’s crypt and broke into the architect’s workshop before destroying many of his plans and plaster models.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
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But divining Gaudí's intentions has required detective work, because during the Spanish Civil War, anarchists protesting the Catholic Church set fire to parts of the structure, and smashed Gaudí's models into 8,000 pieces.—
Seth Doane,
CBS News,
7 June 2026
Noun
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Both groups were accused of being spies, traitors and collaborators, according to the report.—
Sam Metz,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
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When news of Israel’s secret outposts in Iraq’s desert emerged, Iraqis admonished their leaders as traitors, and the boisterous militiamen affiliated with the government as impostors for allowing their land to be colonized by an enemy.—
Nabil Salih,
Time,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subversives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subversives. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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