subvert

verb

səb-ˈvərt How to pronounce subvert (audio)
Definition of subvertnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of subvert If Blyth makes good use of his own amiability, Whitford subverts his. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2026 Where Bikini Kill’s raw, aggressive, discordant tunes subvert gender expectations imposed on women, Uppity’s sincere and introspective jams refute the self-defeating emotional sterility that patriarchy demands from men. — Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026 The Grace twist exists solely as a way to subvert the expectations of viewers who have seen the first movie. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026 Similar to modern innuendo, phallic imagery was sometimes used to subvert taboos and humorously challenge norms. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for subvert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subvert
  1. degrade
  2. weaken
  3. corrupt
  4. destroy
  5. humiliate
  6. debase
  7. poison
  8. dilute
Verb
  • For daily commuting, these units degrade more slowly when owners avoid charging them to 100%.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 10 Nov. 2026
  • In the intermediate stage sugar molecules are dehydrated and degraded, along with amino acids.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Nov. 2026
Definition of degrade
Verb
  • An evening spent practicing, creating, or enjoying your own company can strengthen your life outside the group without weakening the friendship.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The grid, however, was already weakened given a lack of maintenance and investment.
    — Dánica Coto, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of weaken
Verb
  • Vietnam, in his telling, had corrupted the very purpose that gave American power its meaning.
    — David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The attacker may have started corrupting data days or weeks ago.
    — Jim McGann, Forbes.com, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of corrupt
Verb
  • Chemically destroying the channel in adult mouse osteocytes accelerated signs of aging far beyond the skeleton, affecting the brain, liver, and muscles.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The light generates highly reactive chlorine radicals that activate carbon atoms along the polymer chains without destroying them.
    — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of destroy
Verb
  • From coast to coast, and in some of the reddest parts of the country, Republicans were humiliated.
    — Lauren Peller, ABC News, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Weaving the narratives together creates a fuller picture of generations of men and women who, however imperfectly, did their best to carve out lives for themselves in a world determined to humiliate them.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of humiliate
Verb
  • But when the King is gifted with another little person, whom the king debases and shames, Hopfrog plots a terrible revenge.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2026
  • At the same time, the Daily Beast reported on the Fielder fandom, with devotees praising his voice, competence and willingness to debase himself for the camera.
    — David Mack, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of debase
Verb
  • Aided in part by no autopsy being performed, alternate theories have thrived ever since, including that he was poisoned by a cabal of circus performers.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Joe wants to poison Victor’s cup, but Katie thinks Victor would try to trade.
    — Alice Burton, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of poison
Verb
  • Its prescribing information specifies that it must be diluted and administered through a vein.
    — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 11 Nov. 2026
  • But for media organizations, allowing the proliferation of AI seems more likely to dilute, rather than enrich, the ultimate product.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 9 Nov. 2026
Definition of dilute

Browse Nearby Words

subversives
subvert
subverted
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Subvert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subvert. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gauntlet

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All