as in degrades
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 subverts
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
The play subverts itself, never allowing an audience to gain a commanding foothill, even at the end when (suffice it to say) the watchers become the watched.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
With Manhunt, Felker-Martin subverts this convention, creating a post-contagion world in which trans women (and men and nonbinary people) not only exist but tell the story themselves across multiple viewpoint characters.
—Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
While most women figure skaters are known to sport pristine buns and dance to very predictable classics and pop songs, Alysa Liu subverts the norm.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 20 Feb. 2026
Gourault often subverts the extractivist logic of new media technologies and employs open-source investigation in the production of his films.
—Farren Fei Yuan, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
The textured outer elevates even the most basic outfits, while the oxblood hue subtly subverts expectations.
—Annie Blackman, InStyle, 31 Jan. 2026
His ability to play with genre in the most unexpected way shines through in this gripping story which expertly subverts your expectations in the most thrilling and surprising way.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 29 Jan. 2026
The razor-sharp slasher, which leans into and subverts genre tropes, also stars Drew Barrymore, Neve Campbell, Rose McGowan, Courtney Cox, Jamie Kennedy and David Arquette, among others.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2025
Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
The play subverts itself, never allowing an audience to gain a commanding foothill, even at the end when (suffice it to say) the watchers become the watched.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
With Manhunt, Felker-Martin subverts this convention, creating a post-contagion world in which trans women (and men and nonbinary people) not only exist but tell the story themselves across multiple viewpoint characters.
—Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
While most women figure skaters are known to sport pristine buns and dance to very predictable classics and pop songs, Alysa Liu subverts the norm.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 20 Feb. 2026
Gourault often subverts the extractivist logic of new media technologies and employs open-source investigation in the production of his films.
—Farren Fei Yuan, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
The textured outer elevates even the most basic outfits, while the oxblood hue subtly subverts expectations.
—Annie Blackman, InStyle, 31 Jan. 2026
His ability to play with genre in the most unexpected way shines through in this gripping story which expertly subverts your expectations in the most thrilling and surprising way.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 29 Jan. 2026
The razor-sharp slasher, which leans into and subverts genre tropes, also stars Drew Barrymore, Neve Campbell, Rose McGowan, Courtney Cox, Jamie Kennedy and David Arquette, among others.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subverts
Verb
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When asked to comment, Apple pointed to previous statements, saying that the DMA discourages innovation, weakens privacy protections, delays or degrades product launches and increases security risks.—
Kai Nicol-Schwarz,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
-
According to the Cleveland Clinic, Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a progressive neurological condition that slowly degrades the body's motor neurons, which enable normal muscle functions like moving, speaking, eating, and breathing.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Even if the petrodollar weakens, dollar dominance still rests on other factors that other currencies can’t match, according to Paul Blustein, a scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
-
When asked to comment, Apple pointed to previous statements, saying that the DMA discourages innovation, weakens privacy protections, delays or degrades product launches and increases security risks.—
Kai Nicol-Schwarz,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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His relationship with his Jewish neighbors, the Brodskys, grows closer as Nazi power corrupts France.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
-
As Jay Jonah Atterbury, one of a handful of new characters on the fourth season of Industry, Kal Penn weaponizes and corrupts the stoner quirks viewers may recognize from his years playing Kumar Patel in the Harold & Kumar films.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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For those who know the play well, some of Mantello’s choices are most striking, especially the horror here of the famous hotel-room scene with a tawdry lover (brutally played by Katherine Romans), an act born of loneliness that destroys a father’s relationship with his son forever.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2026
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Alzheimer’s disease, a brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, affects more than 6 million Americans, most of them age 65 or older.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Later that season, Eric humiliates Bill in front of their Pierpoint colleagues by insulting his work quality and Bill dies from brain cancer.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Thecla humiliates him by ripping his robe and tearing the wreath off his head.—
Christy Cobb,
The Conversation,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Now, Perez said branches are leaving the union because of high turnover in retail banking, which dilutes the original union-supporting staff and allows the company to re-educate new hires with anti-union talking points.—
Chase Jordan
April 2,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Apr. 2026
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But as the Universe keeps on expanding, the spatial curvature still dilutes, the same way that a small Pringles chip has a greater amount of curvature than a large horse’s saddle.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Her condition rapidly deteriorates to the point where Abbott and Robby are forced to do a C-Section in the ER, with seconds to spare to save her life and the life of the baby.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
17 Apr. 2026
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Originally staged at Avignon in 2025, the play follows a father and daughter whose bond is tested across the vastness of space as one of them starts a new life on Mars while Earth deteriorates.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Most frustratingly, the secret traitor demeans us, the audience.—
Raven Smith,
Vogue,
9 Jan. 2026
-
That conflict comes to a head in the middle of campus in the film’s most intense scene, as Alma verbally belittles and demeans her until Maggie snaps and suddenly smacks her mentor.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Subverts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subverts. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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