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Synonyms

subversive

American  
[suhb-vur-siv] / səbˈvɜr sɪv /

adjective

  1. Also subversionary tending or intending to subvert or overthrow, destroy, or undermine an established or existing system, especially a legally constituted government or a set of beliefs.

    Synonyms:
    destructive, seditious, treacherous, traitorous

noun

  1. a person who adopts subversive principles or policies.

subversive British  
/ səbˈvɜːsɪv /

adjective

  1. liable to subvert or overthrow a government, legally constituted institution, etc

"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

noun

  1. a person engaged in subversive activities, etc

"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

Other Word Forms

  • countersubversive noun
  • nonsubversive adjective
  • nonsubversively adverb
  • nonsubversiveness noun
  • self-subversive adjective
  • subversively adverb
  • subversiveness noun
  • subversivism noun
  • unsubversive adjective
  • unsubversively adverb
  • unsubversiveness noun

Etymology

Origin of subversive

1635–45; < Latin subvers ( us ) (past participle of subvertere to subvert ) + -ive

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The College Republicans chapter at UF has had a reputation for being energetic, subversive and confrontational, say students there.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

I think “Animal House” was also subtly subversive.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

He was an initiator of "Inked Without Regret", a 2020 declaration seen by the court as evidence of the subversive intentions of its signatories.

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

Her Guardian colleague Rhik Samadder enjoys the "subversive" nature of The Muppets however, and the show-within-a-show.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

Anything of a subversive or out-and-out nasty nature, that is.

From "The Misfits" by James Howe

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.