as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
by insisting that she pay me for helping her, she subverted my noble desire to do a good deed without reward
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Recent Examples of subvert
This implied the Blackness of God, subverting cultural representations of the deity as white and possibly European.
—
Rodney Muhumuza, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Instead, these public dollars went to a DeSantis political fund aimed at subverting ballot measures to legalize private use of marijuana and constitutionalize women’s ability to access reproductive health care.
—Howard L. Simon, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2026
The story begins on a train, somewhat subverts the typical strangers-on-a-train narrative in which a chance encounter leads to a love story (that is, the Linklater version rather than the Hitchcock one).
—Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
Both its physical abilities and global history actively subvert the philosopher’s aphorism.
—Andrés Muedano, JSTOR Daily, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subvert
Rodney Muhumuza, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Instead, these public dollars went to a DeSantis political fund aimed at subverting ballot measures to legalize private use of marijuana and constitutionalize women’s ability to access reproductive health care.
—Howard L. Simon, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2026
The story begins on a train, somewhat subverts the typical strangers-on-a-train narrative in which a chance encounter leads to a love story (that is, the Linklater version rather than the Hitchcock one).
—Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
Both its physical abilities and global history actively subvert the philosopher’s aphorism.
—Andrés Muedano, JSTOR Daily, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subvert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subvert
Verb
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Our objective has always been to degrade Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure to the point where diplomacy and a sovereign Lebanese government can take over under Lebanon’s confessional system, reflecting Christian, Sunni and Shiite interests.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2026
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Actively removing litter from the coasts can reduce the amount of debris that may degrade into harmful microplastics.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Every time a middle-class family is forced to drain its wealth or pull back on discretionary spending just to absorb the logistical cost of a geopolitical crisis, the entire economy weakens.—
Katica Roy,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
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But an industry post from commercial real estate analytics firm CoStar cites geopolitical conflict and high ticket prices for weakening demand and hotelier optimism.—
Vivian Song,
CNN Money,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The following weekend, on Easter Sunday, the final boss of the tier — L’ura, a being made of pure light corrupted by the void (although viewers called it a wind chime) — is still alive.—
Sandra McDonald,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
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The criticism most often leveled at proposals to support journalism is that government money corrupts editorial independence, which is a very real concern.—
Julian Baron,
Baltimore Sun,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Similarly, corruption or physical damage might destroy a file’s header, which contains its identifying metadata, while leaving other parts of it untouched.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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The Jeep crashed into a concrete barrier after clipping the other car, destroying part of the barrier, Adams County Fire Rescue officials said.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And the President doesn’t seem to mind if Vance humiliates himself running errands.—
Amy Davidson Sorkin,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
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The series follows Sabrina (Ayres), who is humiliated and emotionally devastated after being betrayed by her boyfriend.—
Ed Meza,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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No one wants to be a jester, debasing oneself for a more powerful person’s amusement.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
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In a new Instagram post shared on Tuesday, the composer behind the HBO show’s memorable soundtrack described an industry that debases its own art and the people who make it for the sake of consumerism.—
Charisma Madarang,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The young woman who sojourned to Oberlin College, where she was wrongfully accused of poisoning her classmates and beaten half to death, who raised her hands in defense of herself, then went on to grip clay and rock and chisel to re-create visions of justice.—
Tyehimba Jess,
ARTnews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
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This same legacy may also poison international attitudes toward his country.—
Ian Bremmer,
Time,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Will Tesla shoulder new debt or issue shares that would dilute the current stockholders?—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
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It could then be repacked in overpacks, removed from the site by plane, train or ship and diluted into fuel for nuclear power plants.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subvert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subvert. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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