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
Days later, the ruling party accused him of sabotaging the project on behalf of China and George Soros, echoing widespread antisemitic conspiracy theories that the billionaire Jewish philanthropist seeks to subvert popular rule.
—
Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 7 June 2026
In a blistering dissent, the court’s Democratic justices said the ruling opened the door to allowing Louisiana lawmakers to subvert the will of voters.
—Jack Brook, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2026
His work was often political, with his cartoonish art prints and couture creations subverting racist iconography from American history.
—Bianca Betancourt, CNN Money, 2 June 2026
The Gucci outfits created by then-creative director Alessandro Michele that Lauro sported on stage for his 2020 participation at the Sanremo Music Festival sparked days of online conversation for subverting rigid gender norms and reimagining sacred Italian iconography.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for subvert
Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 7 June 2026
In a blistering dissent, the court’s Democratic justices said the ruling opened the door to allowing Louisiana lawmakers to subvert the will of voters.
—Jack Brook, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2026
His work was often political, with his cartoonish art prints and couture creations subverting racist iconography from American history.
—Bianca Betancourt, CNN Money, 2 June 2026
The Gucci outfits created by then-creative director Alessandro Michele that Lauro sported on stage for his 2020 participation at the Sanremo Music Festival sparked days of online conversation for subverting rigid gender norms and reimagining sacred Italian iconography.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for subvert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subvert
Verb
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Operating without high temperatures also allowed the researchers to use a wider range of sensing materials, including polymers that might degrade under heat.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
17 June 2026
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Thermomechanical recycling, another energy-intensive endeavor, relies on high-quality, homogeneous feedstock that can only be processed a limited number of times before the plastic degrades.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
17 June 2026
Verb
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Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images BEIJING — China’s consumer spending slowdown persisted in June, with growth during one of the country’s largest online shopping festivals weakening sharply from a year earlier.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
23 June 2026
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All three of those protagonists have been weakened in their roles by what has gone on.—
Nasser Hussain,
New York Times,
23 June 2026
Verb
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Americans are angry that their kids are being indoctrinated into a left-wing ideology intended to infiltrate their hearts and corrupt their moral center.—
Rachel del Guidice,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
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Character also involves standing up to people who are bankrupting and corrupting this country.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Both victims died in separate mobile homes that were destroyed about two to three miles apart, Bullard said.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
22 June 2026
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If Iran’s atomic weapons infrastructure was destroyed in this war, funneling hundreds of billions into the country can’t be used to rebuild it.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
21 June 2026
Verb
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Only the United States was humiliated; both countries have experienced a catastrophic loss.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
18 June 2026
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However, they were then humiliated 2-1, after extra time, by second division side Torreense in the final.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Verb
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In order to emerge victorious in his quest to bring the World Cup to Mexico, De la Torre debases himself and backstabs shamelessly.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
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Most of us would deny that any socially useful work can be or should be debasing.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
Verb
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The summer blockbuster, which premieres June 26, will follow Supergirl's three-day mission to obtain a cure for her superdog and friend, Krypto, who is poisoned by villainous alien Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).—
Jennifer Hassan,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
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Last year, harmful algae blooming off Southern California poisoned hundreds of dolphins and sea lions off Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties, causing strandings along popular beaches.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
15 June 2026
Verb
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In return, Tehran has reiterated its longstanding pledge not to build a nuclear weapon, promised to dilute near weapons-grade uranium, and agreed to unblock the Strait of Hormuz – concessions that don’t go significantly beyond its prewar offers.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
18 June 2026
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Alphabet went the other way and issued stock, which dilutes existing shareholders but adds no fixed interest bill to meet whether or not the AI bet pays off.—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subvert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subvert. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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