as in rebel
someone who tries to overthrow or undermine a governing power
They were outted as subversives and exiled from the country.
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as in violent
seeking to overthrow or undermine a governing power
A subversive organization determined to unseat a leader who they believed operated outside the law.
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subversive
Noun
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The Houthis paused attacks until the U.S. launched a broad assault against the rebels in mid-March.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
8 July 2025 -
Shortly after that, Israeli airstrikes on Iranian weapons shipments to Hezbollah across neighboring Syria — at the time, a key ally of Iran — weakened the dictatorship of President Bashar al-Assad, who was overthrown last December by rebels.—
James Hider,
NPR,
7 July 2025
Adjective
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As droves of tourists continue to flock to Spain for European summer vacations, the nation’s emergency responders are dealing with the aftermath of a violent wave of flash flooding in nearly half of the country’s 50 provinces.—
Opheli Garcia Lawler,
Travel + Leisure,
14 July 2025
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The two got married, had a baby, and started a quiet life together far away from his violent past.—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
14 July 2025
Noun
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Prod: María Isabel Páramo, Iván García) One of the biggest swings among BAM projects, set in 1996 Colombia, as the country succumbs to bloody insurgent warfare.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
15 July 2025
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Delegates followed that recommendation, rejecting a number of insurgent candidates.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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Despite being one of his earliest works, the home showed signs of Wright’s clever revolutionary design.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
14 July 2025
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This revolutionary new self-landing system is being installed in some private planes.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
12 July 2025
Noun
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In 1927, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, two working-class Italian anarchists charged with murder, were sent to the electric chair in Massachusetts, setting off protests around the world.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
24 June 2025
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While for many nineteenth-century anarchists, human nature was understood in scientific terms, Tolstoy understood it religiously.—
Ben Woollard,
JSTOR Daily,
18 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Subversive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subversive. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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