subversion

[ suh b-vur-zhuh n, -shuh n ]

/ səbˈvɜr ʒən, -ʃən /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR subversion ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act or instance of subverting.

the state of being subverted; destruction.

something that subverts or overthrows.

Words nearby subversion

suburbia, suburbicarian, subvaginal, subvene, subvention, subversion, subversive, subvert, subviral, subvirus, subvisible

Origin of subversion

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin subversiōn- (stem of subversiō) an overthrowing. See sub-, version

OTHER WORDS FROM subversion

an·ti·sub·ver·sion, nounnon·sub·ver·sion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for subversion

When the song ended, Wembore anticipated a fight and took off, pleased with the subversion of his dance.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis|Nina Strochlic|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It will be a tough task and will likely prompt yet more Russian aggression or subversion.
Pro-Russian Protesters in East Ukraine Laugh at Kiev’s Threats|David Patrikarakos|April 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This was damage control for a man who only quit bullying and lying and subversion of the law when he finally got cornered.
You’re Over, Lance Armstrong|Buzz Bissinger|January 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Nobel Peace Prize-winner Liu Xiaobo was sentenced to 11 years in prison for subversion on Christmas Day 2009.
U.S. Businessman’s Chinese Legal Nightmare Includes Torture, Lawyers Say|Dan Levin|December 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Or Spike Jones cracks me up with his subversion of The Nutcracker.
Christmas Music Sucks (Mostly), but Here’s a Playlist of Holiday Gems|Malcolm Jones|December 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I have long seen a formed party in the legislature, under his auspices, bent upon my subversion.
Washington and the American Republic, Vol. 3.|Benson J. Lossing
Under its present laws will it run on forever, or will these very laws in the end lead to its subversion?
The Theistic Conception of the World|B. F. (Benjamin Franklin) Cocker
A new doctrine seems at first a subversion of all our opinions, tastes, and manner of living.
Essays, First Series|Ralph Waldo Emerson
We always combine with the subversion of the old government the happy settlement which followed.
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. IV. (of 12)|Edmund Burke
We must not only deter aggression; we must also frustrate the effort of Communists to gain their goals by subversion.
Complete State of the Union Addresses from 1790 to 2006|Various

British Dictionary definitions for subversion

subversion

/ (səbˈvɜːʃən) /

noun

the act or an instance of subverting or overthrowing a legally constituted government, institution, etc

the state of being subverted; destruction or ruin

something that brings about an overthrow

Word Origin for subversion

C14: from Late Latin subversiō destruction, from Latin subvertere to subvert

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

subversion

noun

Words related to subversion

Words nearby subversion

Origin of subversion

OTHER WORDS FROM subversion

Examples from the Web for subversion

British Dictionary definitions for subversion

noun

Word Origin for subversion