SUBVERTED Synonyms: 75 Similar and Opposite Words

subverted

verb

past tense of subvert

as in corrupted

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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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 subverted The Sedition Act of 1918, which subverted the Bill of Rights, imposed penalties for anti-government expression. — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 1 July 2026 Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith’s screenplay is littered with exaggerated stereotypes just waiting to be boisterously subverted. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 June 2026 One day after Zendaya subverted her usual high-fashion fare by wearing a $35 T-shirt from eBay, the 29-year-old actress dipped into a different type of archive on June 25. — Juliana Ukiomogbe, InStyle, 25 June 2026 But Raman — whose husband is veteran 30 Rock writer and producer Vali Chandrasekaran — has quietly subverted her showy target in a way befitting that series. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 6 June 2026 Last year, the struggle ended—or, at least, got subverted. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 26 May 2026 New York Tendaberry, released in the fall of 1969, mostly consists of Nyro alone at the piano, delivering songs that eschewed and subverted most of the characteristics that had won her attention and adoration throughout the preceding decade. — Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 24 May 2026 Kardashian subverted expectations at the 2021 Met Gala by arriving in a face-covering body stocking by Balenciaga. — Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026 There are parts of his past that he’s really subverted, some quite painful but undeniable on his part. — John Hopewell, Variety, 27 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for subverted

Verb

The unsightly mushroom could have corrupted her maids’ morals, or even their health.

— Leah Hudson, Popular Science, 9 July 2026
If religion is corrupted by breaking down the wall of separation, much the same is true of the state.

— Kenneth Seeskin, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026

Definition of corrupted

Verb

Perhaps, then, what captivates us is a kind of redemption story—the seductive idea that technology can not only repair nature but absolve us for having degraded it.

— Taylor Dotson, Scientific American, 10 July 2026
Israel’s military campaigns have significantly degraded Hezbollah, while public opinion in Lebanon has increasingly turned against the group, blaming it for repeatedly dragging the country into unnecessary wars.

— Anthony Wanis-St John, The Conversation, 10 July 2026

Definition of degraded

Verb

All three, the panel noted, have weakened or dropped earlier pledges to halt development on their own if certain red lines came into view, and in recent years softened their resistance to military uses.

— Harry Booth, Time, 7 July 2026
It is weakened by surprises, side channels, performative challenge and unclear authority.

— David Ribott, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Definition of weakened

Verb

More important to Bernstein is what that lust reveals about her characters’ deepest needs, specifically how their need to care and be cared for can be as easily perverted as any other form of desire.

— David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 9 July 2026
Georgia Bernstein’s unsettling directorial debut focuses on how warped and perverted those desires become when they’re taken to their insatiable extremes.

— Randy Myers, Mercury News, 8 July 2026

Definition of perverted

Verb

When that piano deteriorated, a player piano was secured for the plaza in June 2025, along with 25 piano rolls to play during events.

— Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 8 July 2026
Her husband Kennus Gowans has stood by her side as her health deteriorated over the last few years.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 July 2026

Definition of deteriorated

Verb

Bowles told jurors Millete was angry at May over her yearlong affair with another man and likely poisoned her with the toxic plant hemlock.

— Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2026
Many of her victims were poisoned and buried around the boarding house, with Puente cashing their social security checks.

— Selome Hailu, Variety, 7 July 2026

Definition of poisoned

Verb

These structures were regionally and culturally inspired, and largely destroyed during rapid and callous colonization.

— Elizabeth Fazzare, Architectural Digest, 4 July 2026
The Aspen Acres fire has likely destroyed more than 200 homes, but the fire conditions have stopped damage assessment teams from accessing some areas to get a clearer picture, Pueblo County officials said.

— Katie Langford, Denver Post, 4 July 2026

Definition of destroyed

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“Subverted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subverted. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of subverted

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