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 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
Kon subverts slasher tropes and nimbly toys with reality, constantly upending audience expectations and keeping us on our toes.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
The ruched toe boxes are another style that playfully subverts the classic loafer design, offering an unfussy ease that helps soften more masculine tailoring.
—Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 17 Oct. 2025
DiCaprio, 50, subverts his Hollywood leading man image by wearing a ratty red robe, unkempt hair and oversized sunglasses as former revolutionary and current stoner Bob Ferguson, who is forced back into action to save himself and his daughter (Chase Infiniti) from paramilitary enforcers.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2025
Advertisement The film largely follows the trajectory of the novel, but changes some details along the way—and adds one new, final twist that subverts the overall message of King's dystopian tale.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
On view through October 18, the exhibition subverts traditional notions of perception, born from Calle’s bold takeover of the museum.
—Natasha Gural, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Much of how the show subverts expectation is through its cast — Will Lipton, Zendé Murdock, Axel Ellis, Jesse Golliher, and Jeremy Yun — a group of twenty-somethings hailing from across the country who, since their casting, have become a real band amid an industry rock resurgence.
—Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025
At the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas, a team of researchers revealed how Gemini can be weaponized via Targeted Promptware Attacks—malware that subverts Gemini through its input prompts.
—PC Magazine, 8 Aug. 2025
Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2025
Kon subverts slasher tropes and nimbly toys with reality, constantly upending audience expectations and keeping us on our toes.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
The ruched toe boxes are another style that playfully subverts the classic loafer design, offering an unfussy ease that helps soften more masculine tailoring.
—Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 17 Oct. 2025
DiCaprio, 50, subverts his Hollywood leading man image by wearing a ratty red robe, unkempt hair and oversized sunglasses as former revolutionary and current stoner Bob Ferguson, who is forced back into action to save himself and his daughter (Chase Infiniti) from paramilitary enforcers.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2025
Advertisement The film largely follows the trajectory of the novel, but changes some details along the way—and adds one new, final twist that subverts the overall message of King's dystopian tale.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
On view through October 18, the exhibition subverts traditional notions of perception, born from Calle’s bold takeover of the museum.
—Natasha Gural, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Much of how the show subverts expectation is through its cast — Will Lipton, Zendé Murdock, Axel Ellis, Jesse Golliher, and Jeremy Yun — a group of twenty-somethings hailing from across the country who, since their casting, have become a real band amid an industry rock resurgence.
—Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025
At the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas, a team of researchers revealed how Gemini can be weaponized via Targeted Promptware Attacks—malware that subverts Gemini through its input prompts.
—PC Magazine, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subverts
Verb
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Her current research focuses on trying to understand how human environmental DNA preserves and degrades in sediment through time — on both long and short timescales.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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The goal is to understand exactly how and why performance degrades over time.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Lee was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy at age 2, a degenerative disease that gradually weakens muscles.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
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Unlike some of the burger chain’s peers, Cramer said McDonald’s has immense scale and strength and is making an effort to lower prices as consumer spending weakens.—
Julie Coleman,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Rather than simply attacking YoungBoy, Choppa frames himself as a corrective force, casting YoungBoy as someone who corrupts impressionable listeners.—
Jayson Buford,
Rolling Stone,
3 Nov. 2025
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Absolute power corrupts absolutely.—
Heidi Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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One such affliction is Tay-Sachs, a disease that disproportionately affects people of Ashkenazi descent and destroys brain and spinal nerve cells.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Nov. 2025
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The movie follows a similar arc, with an additional subplot in which the creature destroys the city while under the influence of a powerful demon.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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To show him who’s boss, Catherine turns around and buys Pac-North, humiliates him by closing it, and forces him back to Grey Sloan.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
9 Oct. 2025
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There’s always a moment in which somebody humiliates the villain and now all the love in him is gone.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Opponents argue that the new map dilutes the voting power of Black residents in eastern North Carolina.—
Adam Wagner,
NPR,
21 Oct. 2025
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Yes, growth is tempting — launching podcasts, videos, new products — but every expansion dilutes focus.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Backyard cast also features Katie MacNichol as Gladys’ daughter Ellen, Alexander Ameen as Ellen’s husband Howard, and William Huffaker as a young painter from Boston named Don Bowman whom Gladys seeks to help even as her mental state deteriorates.—
David L. Coddon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Nov. 2025
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As the situation deteriorates, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany among others have urged their nationals to leave Bamako.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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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
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That’s another lazy phrase that demeans the dynamic of sport.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Subverts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subverts. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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